The Next Emperor
by lightbird
Summary: Sequel to Homecomings. Mulan and Shang have been married for four months when news arrives that the kind old Emperor has died under questionable circumstances. Once again they are called on to help their country. [COMPLETE]
1. A Short Time of Peace

Disclaimer: Mulan, Shang and all the other characters from the Disney movies belong to Disney. All other characters belong to me.

Summary: Sequel to Homecomings. Picks up about a month after that story left off.

A/N: Not sure exactly where I'm going with this story yet, but here's the beginning. Please R&R!

**xxxxxxx**

**The Next Emperor by lightbird**

**Chapter 1: A Short Time of Peace**

Mulan took Chen to school in town as she did every morning, then went to do her errands. Today was Jie-Lin's day off and she would be cooking. She went to the market and bought what she needed for the dishes she would be making for dinner that night.

"Good morning, Wu Yi-Ning," she greeted one of the women that she'd become familiar with in the town.

Wu Yi-Ning greeted her with obvious discomfort, then hurried past her.

Mulan sighed. She was used to this reaction from many of the women in town, not just Wu Yi-Ning, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with.

She had only been living in this town for about four months, the time that she and Shang had been married. But everyone already knew all about the woman warrior. It didn't matter that she'd saved the Emperor, twice now, or that she had his respect and trust. In their eyes, especially those of the elder women, she had not fulfilled her duties as a woman; in fact, to them, she was a disgrace because she had crossed the line of what was considered proper for a woman.

She could tell that many of the younger women admired her. They may have even wanted to approach her and talk to her. She knew that they wouldn't, however, fearing the repercussions.

'I might rub off on them,' she muttered to herself, somewhat bitterly.

She didn't know why it ought to have mattered to her. Shang was her best friend as well as her husband. And Chen was a little brother now and also a friend. Those friendships meant more than anything.

"Do not let her bother you, Fa Mulan. She is just a rude old hag."

Mulan turned to the voice and found herself looking at a girl who was the same height and build as her.

"Excuse me. I mean Li Mulan," the girl corrected herself.

"That's okay. Who are you?"

"My name is Liu Mi-Ying. I'm eleven."

Mulan was shocked that she was only eleven. She was tall for a child and it made her seem mature. Mulan had thought she was the same age as her. She took a closer look at her face, though, and saw that the girl had a very young face.

"It's nice to meet you, Mi-Ying."

The girl hesitated for a minute, then suddenly blurted out, "Would you teach me how to do Kung-Fu?"

Mulan was speechless for a moment, noticing how the girl blushed with embarrassment. Then she began, "Uh, sure…"

Mi-Ying interrupted, speaking nervously. "I know girls aren't supposed to…but I would really like to learn. I could find a way to pay you."

Mulan was stunned. "Well, I'd be happy to teach you. You don't have to pay me, though."

"Well, I would want to do something."

"I work on Kung-Fu with my little brother Chen everyday after he finishes school. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure. Can I start tomorrow?"

"You can start today if you want."

"I can't today."

"Okay, Mi-Ying. Tomorrow then. Do you know where I live?"

Mi-Ying nodded. "Everyone knows General Li's house."

Mulan parted from Mi-Ying and returned to the school to meet Chen.

"Hi, Mulan."

Chen looked unhappy.

"What's the matter, Chen?"

"You'll find out," he muttered.

"Did something happen at school today, Chen?" she asked when they had arrived home.

"I hate it there."

"I know you do. But did something happen?"

"No. Nothing different."

She gazed at him, waiting for more. But he remained silent.

"Okay, Chen. We'll talk about it more later when Shang gets home."

Chen looked up at her, scared. "Do we have to?"

"You don't want to talk about it with Shang?"

"He'll get mad."

"Probably. But he cares about you, Chen. He only wants the best for you."

"I didn't do anything. I just always get in trouble."

"Yeah, I know how that is."

"Mulan, can we practice today?" he asked after a moment.

She smiled at him, amused.

"Yes. But I'm still going to have to tell Shang what happened, Chen. Changing the subject will not make me forget."

Chen frowned.

"Oh, by the way, Chen, tomorrow we're going to have a student joining us at our practice."

"Who?"

"Her name is Mi-Ying. She's eleven. She wants to learn Kung-Fu, too."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan and Chen finished their Kung-Fu practice and bowed to one another, then Mulan put her arm around him and they walked toward the house.

"What are we going to do now, Mulan?"

"Well, I'm going to cook dinner since it is Jie-Lin's day off. And you are going to do your school work, Chen."

He scuffed his feet on the ground and grumbled in disappointment.

"You promised Shang that you would work to improve, Chen. And I promised him that I would help you. You can sit in the kitchen with me while I cook dinner and I'll help you if you need it."

"Okay. Mulan?"

"What?"

"Where is Mushu?"

"I haven't seen him. He's probably back in the temple, Chen. He only needs to come around when I'm on a mission or in trouble, and I need a guardian to watch over me."

Chen got his schoolwork and sat in the kitchen while Mulan prepared dinner. She glanced over his shoulder from time to time to see how he was doing, and noticed that he actually knew the material very well.

"You know all of this, Chen."

Chen nodded.

"But you don't do well in school."

Chen shrugged. "I don't like it there."

"I know. Do you have problems with the work because of everything else that goes on?"

"I don't know."

"I know how upsetting it is for you, not getting along with the other kids."

"They think I'm weird."

Mulan stroked his hair, tenderly. "Well, if you can, try to forget them and concentrate on the work. You're very smart, Chen. You should be doing well in school. When you grow up, those kids aren't going to matter. Your accomplishments will. Always remember how gifted you are, Chen. I think you're going to do great things one day."

She went back to her cooking. He turned to her and spoke suddenly.

"Mulan, if I know something bad is going to happen…shouldn't I try to stop it from happening?"

"Of course. I would do the same thing."

"But kids always make fun of me and get mad when I do that, and then I get in fights with them."

She frowned.

"I know, Chen."

"So, what do I do?"

She didn't know how to answer him. "I'm not sure what the best thing is, Chen. Maybe we can figure it out together."

Mulan was still cooking dinner when Shang walked in. He stared at her in surprise. He didn't know that she had been cooking on Jie-Lin's day off.

"Hi, Shang!" Chen greeted him excitedly.

"Hello, Chen," Shang answered, rubbing his head affectionately.

Then he moved to Mulan, eyeing her amorously. They embraced and kissed passionately.

"You're cooking tonight?" he murmured, astonished.

"I cook every week on Jie-Lin's day off."

"What? That's been you?"

"Who did you think cooked all those times?"

"I thought Jie-Lin left food prepared and you just heated it."

"You didn't think I could cook?" she asked, with a challenge in her voice.

"I…I think I had better not answer."

"Chicken," she teased him.

Shang kissed her again.

"Well, you're a very good cook, Mulan," he told her. Then he leaned into her ear and added softly, so only she could hear, "In more ways than one."

"Ohh!" Chen groaned, watching them. "Does this mean I have to go to bed early again tonight?"

Shang looked up surprised, then fixed his little brother with an amused look.

"You're a very smart kid, Chen," he commented.

Chen muttered in disappointment.

"Did you do your schoolwork, Chen?"

"Yes," he grumbled. "I did it while Mulan was cooking."

"Good."

Grandfather came in to greet Shang. "Good evening, Li Shang. How are things in the Imperial City?"

"Peaceful. Hopefully things will stay this way. I'm busy training the troops still, and my new officers."

"How _are_ those guys doing?" Mulan asked.

"Well, when Ling and Yao can keep from acting up and fighting with each other, everything is fine," Shang said with a sigh. "I can't believe those two are captains now."

Mulan laughed. "Well, at least Chien-Po's there to make peace."

"Yes, but still. They're officers now. They should know to behave themselves."

"Not everyone is like you, Shang," Mulan told him, winking at him.

She served dinner and the four of them gathered around the table to eat. She poured tea for everyone then took her place at the table.

"Shang, have you seen Su-Tan?" Chen asked while they were eating.

"No, Chen."

"Will I be able to visit her soon?"

Shang sighed. "I don't know."

"You said if the Emperor said it was okay I could."

"I haven't spoken to the Emperor about it. I will if there is an opportunity."

Chen looked down at his plate, dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, Chen. There are other things going on."

"You're too young for girls anyway, Li Chen," Grandfather reprimanded him.

"Su is my friend," Chen insisted. "I want to see her again."

"Just like his father," Grandfather muttered, rolling his eyes. "And you, Li Shang. All of you Li men – helpless over a pretty face."

Mulan couldn't help but giggle.

"What about you, Grandfather?" Chen asked.

"Chen!" Shang exclaimed, shocked.

Mulan put her hand to her mouth, stifling the hysterical laughter that threatened to come. She had asked Shang about his grandfather once; whether he was as guilty as the other Li men of being helpless over a pretty face, as he accused them. Shang had told her that he wouldn't dare ask him. But Chen would dare.

Grandfather wasn't angry, though. He winked at Chen and Chen smiled.

**xxxxxxx**

"How are things during the day?" Shang asked her as they walked in the garden after dinner.

"Good. I'm practicing Kung-Fu with Chen everyday. He's really good; very intense. He's like a little tiger when he's fighting."

"How has he been in school?"

"Okay. I've been helping him with his schoolwork, but he doesn't actually need help. He knows it really well."

Shang sighed. "I know he does. But when he gets to school…he just has problems when he's there."

"He doesn't like it there."

"I know."

"The other kids don't understand when he's warning them. He feels that if he knows that something bad is going to happen, he should stop it. And he's right. But it brings about the wrong result with the other kids."

"I know. I don't know what the solution is."

"Neither do I. But maybe the three of us can think of one together."

They sat down by the pond together. He put his arm around her and she snuggled against him.

"Are you very bored being at home?" he asked.

"No, it's not too bad."

He laughed, then she felt him pulling at the tie that she had used to bind her hair into a ponytail.

"What?"

"I'm taking this out. I love the way you look with your hair down. Especially now that it has grown long again. When I met you it was short."

"Of course it was short. I had to cut it off so I could pass myself off as Ping."

"Hmm," he answered, absently, running his hands through her hair. "It's beautiful like this."

She turned her face to his and she felt his hand on the back of her head, pulling her toward him. He began to kiss her passionately, his other hand sliding down the curve of her body to her waist. He embraced her and she brought her arms up around his neck as she kissed him back.

"Should we go inside?" she whispered when they had pulled apart for a moment to catch their breath.

"No. I don't want to wait that long."

**xxxxxxx**

A week had past. Mi-Ying had been coming everyday to learn Kung-Fu with Chen.

One day while they were practicing, Mulan heard the trot of Shang's stallion coming through the gate. She told Chen to show Mi-Ying some of the easier moves and went out to see Shang, excited that he was home already.

"Shang! You're home early!"

Shang looked grim and she felt her heart sink as she saw his expression.

"Shang, what's wrong?"

He dismounted and approached her, taking her hands in his. "Mulan, the Emperor is dead."

"What? How?"

"It appears to be natural causes. But there are suspicions, of course. His eldest son Prince Ying will become the new Emperor."

Mulan was in shock.

"There will be a funeral in a few days. Then after another few days there will be a ceremony for the installation of Ying. Jiang Shen-Li has requested that I bring you to him this evening. I'm not sure what it is about, but something is not right."

"We just saved his life," she whispered. She was deeply grieved to hear of the death of the wise old Emperor that had treated her with so much kindness and respect.

"I hope it was natural causes," Shang said softly. "But there is a good chance it wasn't. It could have even been his own son that did it. I think that is what Jiang Shen-Li suspects. That is probably why he wants to see you. Both of us."

Mulan shuddered at that. "How could anyone kill their own father?"

"I guess if they want power badly enough or if they're greedy enough…but we don't know yet." Shang sighed. "Grandfather will have to take care of Chen on his own again."

"When do we leave?"

"Whenever you are packed and ready to go. I will talk to Grandfather while you are getting ready."

Shang's eyebrow suddenly went up as he looked past her. "Who is that girl with Chen?"

Mulan turned to look at what he was seeing. Chen and Mi-Ying had come out of the garden and were approaching.

"That is Liu Mi-Ying. She wanted to learn Kung-Fu, so I invited her to come learn with Chen. Mi-Ying, this is Li Shang."

"Hello, General Li," said Mi-Ying, bowing.

Shang smiled. "Nice to meet you, Mi-Ying. Are you Liu Fang's daughter?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hi, Shang!"

"Chen. Mulan and I have to go to the Imperial City. You will be staying here with Grandfather."

Chen looked upset. "How long will you be away?"

"I'm not sure, Chen. But I want you to behave yourself and not make things hard on Grandfather."

"Will Grandfather be able to take him to school?" Mulan asked Shang.

"No, Jie-Lin took him when I was away before. She'll have to do it."

"Mulan, can I help?" Mi-Ying asked. "I could take Chen to and from school if his grandfather cannot."

Mulan looked at her then at Shang.

"You wouldn't mind doing that, Mi-Ying?" he asked.

"Not at all. Mulan has been willing to teach me and has not asked for payment. I want to do something."

"Thank you. That is very kind of you, Mi-Ying."

Mulan packed her things while Shang spoke to Grandfather. Shang waited while she saddled Khan with her things. Grandfather and Chen came out to see them off.

She could see how upset Chen was that she and Shang were going to be gone for an unknown amount of time. She went over and knelt down in front of him, hugging him.

"Don't worry. I will be fine, Chen. And so will Shang."

"I know," Chen said, sadly.

She stood up and moved aside, letting Shang say goodbye to his little brother.


	2. Appearances

**Chapter 2: Appearances**

Shang and Mulan were led into the council chamber where Jiang Shen-Li, the Emperor's number one councilman, was waiting.

"General Li, Captain Li," he greeted them.

Mulan was startled for a moment. She had forgotten that now _she_ was 'Captain Li'.

"Jiang Shen-Li," she greeted him. "I am glad you are up and around."

"Thank you. If you would both follow me, please."

He led them out of the council chamber, down the hall and upstairs to the next story. He led them into a room at the end of the hall and sent the servants away, shutting the door behind them. Then he moved toward the wall and a moment later it opened. Another hidden room.

Shen-Li motioned for them to follow him into the hidden room. He closed the wall behind them and gestured for them to sit down.

"We have set forth the appearance that the Emperor died of old age," Shen-Li began. "But that is not the case. His tea was poisoned."

"I assume the tea was brought by a servant?" Shang asked.

"Yes. But we don't know who he was or who he was working for and we never will. He committed suicide, poisoning himself," Shen-Li answered.

"Do you have any idea who could have possibly engineered this?" Shang asked.

"I fear the worst. Prince Ying is the first son," Shen-Li began. "He will be installed as the new Emperor a few days after the former Emperor's funeral. There is a second son, Ting. I suspect that one or both of his sons engineered this, and if so, they obviously have allies, such as that servant. Ying is an obvious suspect, as he will now succeed to the throne. Ting, though less obvious, is still a suspect. He is now only one step away. If it is Ting working alone then that means Ying's life is in danger."

"Who else is a possible suspect?" Mulan asked. "It may not be either of his sons."

"It could be anyone. It could be one or more members of the Emperor's council. Perhaps some of them were in league with Chi Fu and have still been working to get rid of the Emperor. Or perhaps they have other motives."

"You mentioned that perhaps some of the council members were in league with Chi Fu. Do you think this is in any way related to what happened a few months ago with the group from the Henan Province?"

"Of course, anything is possible. For now we must wait. I will continue to observe the behavior of both Ying and Ting. General Li, your troops will keep order during the Emperor's funeral and Ying's installation as the new Emperor. I am concerned that a riot may be incited so that someone can take advantage of the confusion to harm Ying. Captain Li, until Ying appoints his own staff, you were made a special advisor and I will need your help in watching for treachery here. I will dispatch a servant to bring you to me in the morning. And now it is late and you are both probably tired. I will have a servant show you to your room."

Shen-Li brought them back to the outer room and rang for the servant, directing him to show them to the room where they would be spending the night.

Shang and Mulan both lay awake for a long time after their discussion with Shen-Li. Too anxious to sleep, they cuddled together and talked.

"Whoever did this, they will have several allies in the palace, people who have been bribed with money or with the promise of a title," Mulan said quietly. "Weeding them all out will be difficult, to say the least."

Shang sighed. "And even if we manage to head off this crisis, this is a never-ending cycle. There will always be people in the palace trying to kill the Emperor, trying to gain power. This will always be happening."

"I know."

"I'm glad you're here, Mulan. I'm just a military man. I've been trained to be a warrior. I know nothing about how to maneuver my way through court intrigues and politics."

"And you think _I_ know?"

"You have more of a knack for it. I know you haven't been trained for this sort of thing, but you are very shrewd, Mulan. That is why the Emperor pressed you into service as a spy during the last crisis and why he made you his special advisor. You are able to second-guess people who operate like Chi Fu did and make things up as you go. I am much more rigid."

Mulan was silent for a moment. "From what Yao told me, that ambush you set up for the rebels during the last crisis was a last minute strategy and was flawlessly executed."

"Yao said that?"

"Yes. And remember, I also had a lot of help, Shang; from your little brother and from Mushu. In fact, it was because of Chen that I found out most of the things that I did. Chen is the one who will be very good at this when he is grown up, given that he can know things before they happen and can read people's thoughts and feelings. I'm surprised Shen-Li didn't ask for him also."

"Chen?" Shang sounded alarmed. "You think he would have asked for Chen?"

"The Emperor had Chen figured out right away. He really was a clever and wise old man. He realized immediately how special he is and he mentioned it to Shen-Li. I thought Shen-Li might have wanted his assistance, knowing that."

"Well, thankfully he didn't, and Chen is safe at home this time."

**xxxxxxx**

Su-Tan had found the secret chamber behind her bedroom a few weeks before. Ever since she had found it she had been hiding in there.

She was very uneasy in the palace now. Something very strange was going on and it made her nervous.

She lay down in the hidden room, holding Shio, her toy dragon talisman, and pulling the blanket she had brought in around herself.

She missed Li Chen.

Chen was the first and only friend that she had ever had. He was the first person that cared about her safety. Even her parents hadn't cared; that is, the people she'd grown up believing were her parents.

It turned out that her real parents had died when she was very young. She had no recollection of them. The two people that she had grown up with were friends of her parents.

Chen had genuinely been concerned for her and had gone out of his way to make sure that she didn't get hurt when they had their adventure a few months before. She had hoped that Chen would come to visit her, but he hadn't. Maybe he couldn't because she lived in the palace.

She had always thought it would be great to live there. But if it meant that she couldn't have friends, maybe she would be better off somewhere else.

There weren't very many children other than her around, and the ones that lived in the palace seemed so dignified and serious, not playful and open like Chen.

There was the sound of footsteps coming from behind the wall of the hidden chamber she was in, on the opposite side from the panel to the outer room. Someone was passing. She remembered that on the last day she had seen him Chen had told her that there were secret passages inside the palace walls. Was someone walking there now? Would they be able to enter the room that she was in?

She clutched Shio tightly against her body and held her breath until the sound of the footsteps got further away.

Then she began to cry.

**xxxxxxx**

"You have to keep looking at me, Mi-Ying," Chen said as Mi-Ying turned her gaze away from him.

"I can't help it. My eyes are tearing. I don't understand why we are having a staring contest, Chen."

"Because it is part of the Kung-Fu training. My brother taught me this before he ever taught me any moves. He says that you have to look your adversary in the eye. He made me practice this."

Mi-Ying wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "He made you practice staring into his eyes?"

"Yes. And he stared into my eyes, too. That's part of being a soldier, too, I guess."

"Well, you win the staring contest today," she laughed.

They were silent for a moment, then Chen spoke.

"It is already three days that she is gone."

Mi-Ying looked at him, startled. "Who?"

"Mulan."

"I was just wondering when Mulan was going to be back. You do that a lot, Chen. You talk about something that I am already thinking. Are you a mind-reader?"

Chen just shrugged. Then he frowned as he thought about Mulan. He knew that she would be fine. She could take care of herself, and she had her guardian Mushu to help her. He also didn't have any sense of anything bad happening to her. Or to his brother.

But he knew that the palace had bad vibes about it. There was always something wrong there. He'd felt it when he was there. And he almost always picked it up from Shang's thoughts whenever he came home at the end of the day. He had even picked it up from Father's thoughts when he had been alive and working there. It upset him that Mulan and Shang had to be in a place like that. And his friend Su-Tan lived there now, and that upset him very much.

"What's wrong, Chen?"

"Nothing," he muttered. "I have to do my schoolwork soon."

"Oh, okay."

"If you want, we can practice some of the moves you have learned already."

"Okay. You don't mind, Chen?"

"No. I don't mind."

They began to practice but they were interrupted by the sound of the arrival of a herald from the Imperial City.

Chen and Mi-Ying walked toward the gate. Li Kong was already there and he turned and gave his grandson a stern look.

"Stay inside, Li Chen. You too, Mi-Ying."

He stepped outside the gate. Chen ran to the nearby tree and climbed up. Mi-Ying followed him. They sat in the branches and peered out over the gate, listening.

The herald announced the death of the Emperor and the upcoming installation of the new Emperor, his eldest son Prince Ying.

Chen had pain in his head as he listened to the announcement. Something felt all wrong as the herald spoke.

"What's wrong, Chen?" Mi-Ying whispered.

"My head hurts."

Chen and Mi-Ying watched the herald disappear from view after he had finished his announcement.

"Li Chen. Get down from there," Grandfather reprimanded. "You too, Mi-Ying."

Chen obeyed, climbing down and helping Mi-Ying down.

"I better go," said Mi-Ying. "See you tomorrow, Chen."

"Okay. Bye."

Grandfather watched Mi-Ying leave, then he turned to Chen and shook his head at him. He took Chen by the arm and led him into the house.

"When I tell you to stay inside, Li Chen, it means stay inside. Not climb up the tree and listen to something that is meant for the adults."

"Sorry," Chen muttered.

Grandfather patted Chen on the head. "Well, as you heard, we will have a new Emperor now. That is probably why Shang and Mulan have to be in the Imperial City at this time."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan found it interesting that Ying did not wish to appoint any new council members of his own. He requested that Jiang Shen-Li continue to be the number one councilman.

Shen-Li bowed and expressed his gratitude at Ying's confidence in him.

"I know how loyal you were to my father and how you looked out for him. And I wish you to remain as special advisor, Captain Li Mulan. I know that my father thought very highly of you as well and respected your opinion and judgment. I have no doubt that I will find your talents and service as valuable as he did."

"Thank you, your Majesty," Mulan said, bowing.

Ying was young, probably only a few years older than Shang, and he seemed to be somewhat overwhelmed with his new title and responsibilities. But he had an air of dignity and maturity about him and he seemed to be a wise and honorable young man. The more she heard him speak, the more she was convinced that he could not have possibly had anything to do with his father's death. Unless he was even more clever than she thought and was putting on an artful, successful act. But she felt that she was fairly good at reading people; and she sensed no deception or pretense from Ying.

"I will make other decisions and begin my duties after my father's funeral tomorrow. I wish to have a little bit of time to mourn him."

Mulan met Prince Ting shortly after. He was two years younger than his brother and much less serious. He had an obvious weakness for women and was eyeing her in a way that she immediately did not like. Fortunately, Ying noticed his brother leering at her and reprimanded him.

"Captain Li Mulan is a special advisor to me and a captain of the Imperial Army, Ting. She is also the wife of General Li. She is not a concubine, nor is she to be treated like one."

Ting bowed politely. "Excuse me."

Shen-Li caught her eye and indicated with a subtle gesture of his head that they should talk after they were dismissed by Ying.

Mulan nodded slightly, just enough for him to see.

**xxxxxxx**

"Well, I already don't like Ting," Mulan commented when she and Shen-Li were alone in one of the hidden chambers within the walls.

"He is…not as virtuous and well-behaved as his older brother," Shen-Li answered. "But I wanted to talk to you about Ying. He does not seem to have any intention of appointing his own councilmen, at least not yet."

"Yes, I noticed the same thing. He also seems to be a little bit overwhelmed that he is the new Emperor. I'm sure he knew that it would happen someday, but I get the feeling that he didn't expect it to happen so soon. Nor did he want it to happen so soon, which seems to indicate to me that he is innocent of any intrigue."

"I agree. I thought the same thing."

"Of course, he could be putting on a really good act."

"He could be. I will be continuing to watch him, to make sure he is safe anyway. I will notice if something does not seem right. But I don't think he is putting on an act."

"I don't either."

"But we must consider all possibilities."

She nodded.

"What about Ting?" she asked.

"I am not sure about him. But I would imagine that he is more capable of treachery and deception than his older brother. We will need to watch him."

**xxxxxxx**

Chen and Mi-Ying sat on the grass after they finished practicing.

"Mulan is a better teacher than me. I don't know that much yet."

"You're very good, though."

"Thanks."

Chen suddenly squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hands to his head.

"What's wrong, Chen?"

Chen couldn't speak for a minute.

"Chen, what is it?" Mi-Ying's voice was full of alarm.

He took deep breaths and calmed himself the way Shang had been showing him for the past few months.

Mi-Ying was staring at him, fright in her eyes.

He smiled weakly at her.

"Chen, are you okay?" she asked, almost in tears.

He nodded. "I had a picture…in my head. I think my friend may be in trouble."

"What friend?"

"My friend Su-Tan."

"Do you know what kind of trouble she's in?"

He shook his head. "She was in a forest. I think she may have left the palace."

"She lives in the palace?"

"Yes. But I think she left."

"Can I help you, Chen?"

"Maybe. But I don't know where she is."

"But you think she left the palace?"

"Yes."

"Would she be coming to visit you maybe?"

"I don't know. Maybe. But something is going to happen to her in the forest."

"What do we do?"

"My grandfather will kill me if I leave to go find her."

"Don't you have a horse, Chen?"

"Yes."

"If we go on horseback, it shouldn't take too long. We can go toward the Imperial City. Hopefully she is coming this way and we will run into her."

"I don't know if you should come, Mi-Ying. The Imperial City…is not a good place. There are a lot of bad things happening there. It might be dangerous for you."

"It might be dangerous for you too, Chen. And you're younger than me. I want to come and help."

Chen sighed. "Okay, okay. We should leave tonight. Maybe we can be back in the morning before my grandfather knows we're gone."

"I'll meet you at your gate after dark?" she asked.

He nodded. "Do you have a horse?"

"No, and I don't know how to ride. Can I ride with you?"

"If my horse can hold us both. He's a pony and not very big."

**xxxxxxx**

"Tai-Ling, awaken," said the First Li Ancestor.

The gong-ringer came to life and stood at attention before the First Ancestor.

"There is a problem with Li Chen. Wake up the ancestors, Tai-Ling."

The tiny dragon rang the gong, awakening the Li family ancestors. When they had awakened he went off and sat in the corner, listening to the discussion and waiting until he could go back to sleep.

"That boy is very gifted," the second Li Ancestor was saying. "He has a lot of problems because of it."

"I don't know why Li Chen can't just behave himself the way his big brother always did. There were never such problems with Li Shang," said the third.

"Yes, Li Chen is a trouble maker. And he has a terrible habit of running away. Didn't he have enough of it a few months ago?"

"Last time we didn't have to send a guardian. Fa Mulan let her guardian watch over him. Pretty generous of her, I must say."

"Perhaps we should send Xian," one of the ancestors suggested.

"Yes, he is the wisest," another agreed.

The other ancestors murmured agreement, but the First Li Ancestor cut them off.

"No. We will send Ming."

"Ming?" the Second Li Ancestor repeated.

"Ming?" the others gasped.

"Yes," the First Li Ancestor said, firmly. "He is the right guardian for Li Chen. Tai-Ling, awaken Ming at once."

Tai-Ling did as he was told and a minute later Ming appeared before the First Li Ancestor, who instructed him of his task then dismissed him.

"Go quickly, Ming," he ordered. "Anything could happen to that boy, running off in the middle of the night like that."

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: I know I have a lot going on in this story already and I hope it isn't too convoluted. Right now I am still trying to set up all of the characters and the circumstances. Please R&R!


	3. The Path to Chang'an

**Chapter 3: The Path to Chang'an**

Mi-Ying met Chen at his gate after dark. Chen gave her a black cloak of Mulan's to wear so they would be less likely to be spotted. He was wearing a black cloak also and he had his pony saddled already. He helped her mount once she had put the cloak on.

"I hope he can hold us both," Chen commented.

"We're small."

"So is he."

He mounted in front of her and told her to hold onto his waist. Then they set off toward Chang'an.

"Is this the right way?" Mi-Ying asked.

"I think so."

The small horse seemed to be able to handle the weight of both of them. He trotted along at a steady pace.

They entered the forest and rode toward the Imperial City.

"Keep a look out, Mi-Ying," he said, softly.

"What does she look like, Chen?" she whispered.

"She's smaller than me. She may be wearing black also."

"How old is she?"

"Eight."

They traveled through the forest quietly.

"This way," Chen heard a voice say much later on.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything," said Mi-Ying.

"Who said that then?"

"I didn't hear anything either."

Chen stopped his pony and listened carefully.

"This way."

It was a male voice and it was coming closer. Chen looked toward where the voice came from and blinked, trying to see in the dark. Moments later a figure came into view.

Chen almost laughed.

"You're the only one who can see and hear me, Li Chen. I'm your guardian."

Chen's eyes widened at that and then he did laugh.

"What's so funny?" Mi-Ying asked.

"My name is Ming," said the figure. "Your ancestors sent me to watch over you."

"Are you going to make me go home?" Chen asked.

"No. Why would I do that?" Mi-Ying asked. "I wanted to come with you."

"I am here to watch over you and help you, since you didn't listen to your brother and ran off again. Su-Tan is here and she is safe so far. Follow me and I will take you to her."

Chen steered his pony and followed the small figure.

"Do you know where you're going, Chen?" Mi-Ying asked.

"I think so."

Several minutes later Ming led him to Su-Tan, who was walking toward them. She was dressed in black. She saw the outline of the horse and darted behind a tree.

"Su-Tan, it's okay. It's Li Chen," he called out softly.

She stepped out from behind the tree. "Chen! How did you know?"

"I just did."

He dismounted.

"This is my friend Mi-Ying. She came to help me find you. Mi-Ying, this is Su-Tan."

"Hi."

"Hello."

"Su, how come you left the palace?"

"I wanted to visit you, Chen. I don't like living in the palace. There are people walking around inside the walls and I can hear them outside my room. I'm scared. And I don't have any friends. I was hoping _you_ would visit."

"I wanted to. My brother said I couldn't without permission from the Emperor. I'm glad to see you, Su."

"Me, too."

"So, now what?" Mi-Ying asked. "Are we bringing her back home with us, or should we take her back to the Imperial City?"

Chen looked at Ming who had been silent up until that point.

"Either way, you're in trouble, kid," he told him. "It will be morning soon and your grandfather is going to know you're gone before you get back. It would be better if people in the palace did not find out that Su-Tan is missing."

"What do you suggest?"

"I don't know," Mi-Ying answered. "We're both going to get in trouble if we go to the Imperial City."

Ming spoke again. "Now that you've run off, you might as well go to the Imperial City and get Su-Tan home. Then you can tell your brother or Mulan what happened. But you should get some sleep now. The three of you should not be traveling at night. I will watch over you while you sleep."

Chen looked at him quizzically.

"And I will help you through any trouble that may come up along the way. After the girls have gone to sleep, you and I will talk in private."

Chen turned and spoke to the two girls.

"They will be looking for you in the palace when they find you gone, Su-Tan. We should take you back there. I'll stay with you for as long as I can. And Mi-Ying will be with us, too. But we should wait until the morning."

Mi-Ying looked at him.

"It will already be too late, Mi-Ying. We are already in trouble."

"You're right. Let's help Su-Tan."

Chen made sure the girls had settled down to sleep and left his pony tied to the nearby tree. If anything strange happened, the young horse would let him know. He then walked far enough away from the girls that they wouldn't hear him and sat down, facing Ming.

"My ancestors sent a little monkey to help me?" he asked, greatly disappointed. "How come I didn't get a dragon?"

"Do not be fooled by what I am, Li Chen. I was sent to you by your ancestors _because_ of what I am and the special powers that I possess."

"Really? Like what?"

"That is not important right now. My powers will be revealed as they are needed."

"But…"

"Do not argue, Li Chen. You are already going to be in a lot of trouble."

"But Su-Tan needed my help."

"I know." Ming sighed. "Li Chen, I know how difficult it is to live with the gift that you have. You sense when something bad is going to happen to someone and it is hard not to act, especially when someone that you care about is involved. But you are too impulsive. You must learn to think before you act. Your brother has been trying to teach you that and you do not listen."

"I do listen. It's just, then something happens…"

"I know. Well now you are already on your way into the thick of things. Li Chen, Su-Tan is right to be scared in the palace. There are a lot of bad things going on there."

"I know," Chen said.

Ming laughed. "I know you know. And you may be able to help."

"Really?"

"Yes. And I will help you."

"What about Su-Tan and Mi-Ying?"

"We will make sure they stay safe as well."

**xxxxxxx**

The Imperial City was mobbed that day. Everyone that could had come to pay their last respects to the wise and loved Emperor.

Shang and his troops kept order as they had been instructed to do. But Shang had a terrible feeling about things. Something felt not right in his gut. It was more than the fact that the Emperor had been assassinated. Shang suspected that, as always around the palace, there was even more going on than what appeared on the surface.

He had not been able to stay with Mulan the night before, and he wanted more than ever to be with her again. He needed to talk to her about his suspicions and his worries. He wanted her insight and opinion.

Right now there were no apparent threats from across any of China's borders. The Huns had been beaten and there had been no sign of them lately. They had no trouble from their neighbors to the east, west or the south.

But Shang had learned from his father that when there was extreme conflict and corruption and in-fighting within a country, it left that country wide open to an outside attack. He hoped that this was not the direction China was headed.

It was fortunate that more troops had been recruited and were ready for battle in the event that an outside attack did occur. He had been put in charge of training the new palace guard, and there was another general that had been put in charge of training the new troops that were to defend their northern border. Their other borders had not been attacked in a very long time, so the troops stationed there had not been depleted and remained status quo at this point.

Shang surveyed the funeral procession. Everything looked okay. A division of soldiers flanked either side of the Emperor's coffin and the rest of the soldiers were stationed at the entrances to the city and around the Imperial Square. Though the city was mobbed, the people that had come to pay their respects kept an appropriate distance from the procession and remained orderly and calm.

They were well prepared in the event that a riot was incited. But that implied that someone in the crowd was involved. And Shang was sure that only people inside the walls of the palace were involved.

He thought about Shen-Li. He knew that Jiang Shen-Li had been the former Emperor's most highly trusted advisor and a close friend to him. He was still working to discover the truth behind the Emperor's death and working to keep the Emperor's sons safe.

Shang wondered how Shen-Li knew some of the things that he knew. He now knew about all the hidden rooms and the secret passages. But the place was huge. There was no way that Shen-Li could just wander those passages and rooms spying on everyone in the palace by himself.

'He has to have other people working with him,' Shang thought to himself. 'Who are they?'

**xxxxxxx**

Chen was on foot, leading his pony with Mi-Ying and Su-Tan mounted on him, toward the gate of the Imperial City. The entrance was heavily guarded by soldiers and they could see that the city was mobbed.

"Wow! Look at all those people!" Mi-Ying exclaimed.

"We'll never get in," Su-Tan muttered.

"The Emperor died. This must be the funeral," Mi-Ying whispered.

"We can get in the other way," Chen told them. "Mulan got us into the palace through a secret way last time."

"I know where it is," Ming told him. "Follow me."

Chen obeyed, following Ming around the perimeter of the city. It took hours before they got to the secret entrance that he remembered from last time. He tied the pony to a nearby tree, then led Mi-Ying and Su-Tan into the passageway, Ming on his shoulder.

"I found a hidden chamber behind my room," Su-Tan whispered. "I was in there and I heard someone in this tunnel. They can come into my room if they want to, can't they?"

Mi-Ying shuddered. "Ooh, that's scary."

"It is."

"Don't worry, Su-Tan," Chen told her, patting her shoulder. "We'll stay with you now until we can get help."

They reached a bend in the passageway and all of them stopped as they looked down toward the end of the long tunnel and saw a dark, robed shadow turning a corner.

"Who was that?" Mi-Ying whispered.

"I don't know," Su-Tan answered, softly. "Maybe he's the one I heard outside my room."

Chen had a sense of who it was and he wasn't afraid.

"Come on," Chen whispered, leading them toward the end of the tunnel.

"We're not going to follow him, are we, Chen?"

"It's alright. He is a nice man. He won't harm us. And we need to try to find Su-Tan's room before anyone sees that she's gone."

"I don't know how to get there from in here, Chen."

"Well," Ming muttered in his ear, "just find an exit and have her lead you to her room from outside. You can't stay inside the walls of the palace forever."

"We should get out to the hallway, then you can lead us to your room from there, Su-Tan," Chen said.

Chen found a door along the passageway and opened it quietly, slowly. The room was empty. He went in and the girls followed him. Then he went to the door at the other end of the room and closed his eyes, listening. The room was empty and he slowly opened the door leading out. He peered out and saw that it was clear, then stepped out and gestured for the girls to follow.

They stepped out into the hallway, which was empty.

"Do you know where we are, Su-Tan?" Chen whispered.

Su-Tan looked around, then began to walk down the hall. Chen and Mi-Ying followed. There was a balcony at the end of the hall and she looked out.

"Now I know."

She led them to her room and they went in, shutting the door behind them. She opened the panel to the secret chamber next to her room and showed it to them.

"There are bad things going on in this place," Chen said.

"I know," Su-Tan answered. "I'm really scared here. Can you stay with me?"

"Yes. For a little while," Chen answered.

"I am going to be in so much trouble," Mi-Ying muttered.

"So am I," Chen said.

"But I'm glad I can help."

"So, you can both sleep in here with me. I'll get you food, too."

"Can you get some for us now? I'm starving." Chen asked.

"Yes, it's been hours since we ate anything."

Su-Tan nodded. "I'll get us some food and water."

"So now what?" Mi-Ying asked.

"We need to find Mulan. Su-Tan, do you remember her?" Chen asked.

"I'm not sure."

"If we can find her, she can help us."

"What about your brother?" Mi-Ying asked.

"He can help, too, but he will also kill me. I'd rather find Mulan first."

"Maybe I can go with Su-Tan. I would recognize her, even if she doesn't."

"I don't know, Mi-Ying."

"They'll probably just think I am a friend of hers. I can keep my hood up so I am not recognized if you want."

"Yes, please come with me, Mi-Ying," Su-Tan pleaded. "I don't want to go looking around for her by myself."

Mi-Ying looked at Chen. "I'll be okay, Chen. We're kids. What would they do to us?"

"She'll be okay, Chen," Ming told him. "It would be a good thing for her to go. You'll find out why eventually."

Chen looked at him, completely bewildered.

"O-kay," he said hesitantly. Then he turned to the girls and nodded. "Okay, go ahead, Mi-Ying. It will be better if Su-Tan is not alone."


	4. A New Assignment

**Chapter 4: A New Assignment**

Su-Tan arranged for them to have food and water. After they had eaten, she and Mi-Ying went to the outer room, leaving Chen hidden in the secret chamber. Su-Tan opened the door and peered out into the hallway. There were a few people around now that the funeral procession had ended. She stepped out and Mi-Ying put her hood on and followed.

"How do we find her?" Su-Tan asked.

"Well, do you know where she is staying at night?"

Su-Tan shook her head.

"Well, maybe we can ask one of the servants."

They walked along the hallway and Su-Tan found a servant to ask. She didn't know and demanded to know why Su-Tan would be asking such a thing. Mi-Ying took Su-Tan's arm and hurried away with her as the servant continued to rant at them.

They turned a corner and stood at the end of a long corridor. There were dozens of rooms in that hallway alone.

"What do we do? We can't just go into the rooms."

"Maybe if we can find General Li, he will lead us to her," Mi-Ying suggested.

"Would you recognize him?"

"Yes. But we have to make sure we follow him without him seeing us. If he sees me, he'll know Chen is here, too."

The soldiers were outside still, in the square and around the city. They went downstairs and out into the square, looking around.

Suddenly, someone came up behind them, laughing.

"Hey, _Ping_! Who's your little friend? And what's with the hood?"

The hood of Mi-Ying's cloak was suddenly yanked off of her head and she screamed, whirling around. Su-Tan screamed, too, and grabbed Mi-Ying's hand. Several people in the square turned to see what the screams were about.

"Whoa! Whoa! I'm just playing around…hey, you're not Mulan!"

Mi-Ying and Su-Tan stared at the skinny man that stood before them.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you girls. I'm Ling. I'm Mulan's friend. Who are you?"

"You thought I was Mulan?" Mi-Ying asked him.

"You're the same size as her. From the back, and with the hood up…sorry. I can see you're much younger. What are your names?"

"I'm Mi-Ying and this is Su-Tan. We are looking for Mulan. We have to talk to her. Do you know where she is?"

"Not at the moment. But she and General Li are staying in the palace. Do you want to see the General?"

The girls shook their heads vehemently and Ling laughed.

"Yes, I know he seems tough and hard. But he isn't really; it is all an act."

The girls exchanged looks and Mi-Ying said, "We really need Mulan."

Ling laughed again.

"Alright, I can see you don't want to go anywhere near the general. I can bring you to the room where they are staying at night instead if you want."

Both girls nodded.

"Yes, please."

Ling laughed and gestured for them to follow him.

"Ling, what is going on?" said a stern voice behind them.

Mi-Ying pulled her hood up at the sound of the voice.

Ling turned around and saluted. "Hello, General. I was just helping these girls. They are lost."

Mi-Ying didn't even need to look to know who it was when she heard the man addressed as 'General'.

"What was the screaming about?"

"Nothing. We were playing a game. Come on, girls," Ling said, pushing them along in front of him. "Goodnight, General."

Mi-Ying glanced back from under her hood and saw the stern, serious face of General Li, who was standing there with his arms folded, watching them.

"That was close," she muttered to Su-Tan. "I wonder if he heard about me and about Chen yet."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang watched Ling hurry off with the two girls.

He now recognized the little girl as Su-Tan. He didn't know who the other girl was. She was covered in a black cloak and her hood was up; she looked like Mulan. She was the same height and build. But Mulan was supposed to be working with Shen-Li. Why would she be roaming around with Su-Tan?

Ling had been acting strange just now; but he had always been a goofball, ever since Shang had known him. He was always playing pranks and making a joke out of everything. He was probably pulling another one of his pranks, at his expense no doubt. The fact that he was Ling's commanding officer didn't seem to discourage him from making him the brunt of jokes.

Shang sighed and turned, heading off to talk to the leaders of the troops on the night watch. Then he returned to the palace, looking forward to seeing his wife.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan followed the servant to the council room, where Ying was supposed to be waiting for her. But when she got there, the room was empty. The servant left, shutting the door behind him.

A moment later, the trick panel to the hidden room opened.

"Come in, Captain Li."

Mulan entered the hidden chamber and Prince Ying shut the panel behind her. He was by himself.

"Come with me. We have much to discuss."

He led her into the passage inside the walls and led her through the maze of tunnels once again. She tried to make a mental note of each twist and turn that they made. She didn't know how anyone could know their way through this labyrinthine maze.

She was astonished when they went through a door and ended up outside in the forest. It was not the same exit as last time; they were on a different side of the palace.

He gestured for her to follow him, leading her deeper into the forest and she suddenly regretted that she didn't have a sword with her.

He led her out of the forest and up the hill, to a temple.

"I have a special assignment for you, Captain Li Mulan."

"Yes, your Majesty," she said, softly.

"I need you to assist me in setting up a ruse."

She raised an eyebrow in confusion, but answered, "Of course, sir."

He explained what he wanted her to do and why.

"What about you? Will you be safe in all this?"

"Yes, I will."

Mulan had a terribly uneasy feeling. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Captain. I appreciate your concern. And everything will become clear to you in time."

She bowed and told him that she was at his service.

"And Captain, this does not go past the two of us."

"Yes, sir."

She would obey his order; but she was suspicious as to why he didn't want Jiang Shen-Li to know.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan wasn't in the room when Ling brought them there, but Mi-Ying and Su-Tan made a note of exactly where it was and how to get there. Then they returned to Su-Tan's room and went into the hidden chamber.

They told Chen about Ling and that they had seen his brother.

"Do you think he knows that we're here?"

"He doesn't know," Ming told him. "I already took care of that."

Chen looked at Ming.

"I'll explain later," the little monkey said in answer to his look.

"And we found Mulan's room. But she wasn't there. We'll have to go back a little later."

"My brother might be there."

"Well, I just won't let him see me," Mi-Ying answered. "Su-Tan will go in, and I'll wait down the hall or something."

Su-Tan got dinner for them and more water. Then they sat in the hidden chamber and talked quietly. Suddenly, Su-Tan hushed them.

"Listen," she whispered. "Do you hear that?"

There were footsteps in the passageway inside the walls again.

"It's okay. I know who it is. He's nice," Chen said.

"How can you know that without seeing him?" Mi-Ying asked.

"I just do. He won't hurt you, Su-Tan. He's hiding because people might try to hurt him."

"It's still scary," Su-Tan muttered. "I don't like it here."

Chen nodded. "There are a lot of bad things here. But it will be okay. And Mulan will help us."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan returned to her room and threw herself on the bed, burying her face in her arms.

Ying had led her back into the palace and left her in the council room, disappearing back into the secret chamber after bidding her goodnight.

She was extremely disturbed by this new assignment, especially since it was something that only the two of them were supposed to know. He had given her a plausible reason as to why he wanted her to carry out this ruse. But what if it was a trick? What if he _was_ the one that had killed his father?

"Hey, baby."

"Mushu!" she exclaimed, happily, sitting up.

"Did you miss me?"

"I am so glad to see you. I wasn't sure if you were still my guardian, since I'm not really a Fa anymore. I'm a Li now."

"Babe, you're never getting rid of me, whatever your family name is."

"Thanks, Mushu."

"So, Prince Ying made you his number one confidante."

"You were there?"

"Of course. He was leading you off into the forest alone. You bet I was going to be there to make sure everything was alright."

"So, what do you think?"

"I think that he's okay."

"That was my first impression of him. But still, people around here are so good at deceit and intrigue. I know that I'm intelligent, but I think that I am just not devious enough to keep up with the people here."

"There's something else you should know, Mulan."

"What?"

Mushu hesitated.

"Oh, no. Are you kidding me?"

"It's okay, though. The Li ancestors sent a guardian to watch over him."

Mulan dropped her head into her hands. "Does Shang know?"

"Not yet. Chen has a very tricky guardian."

"What do you mean?"

"His guardian is a monkey."

"A monkey?"

"Yes. And he's very clever and tricky. He can transform himself to look like a person, any person."

Mulan just stared at him. "And?"

"And he made himself look like Shang and intercepted the message that came for Shang from Grandfather Li this afternoon."

She would have laughed at that if she wasn't so upset.

"But, you know, that particular power may come in handy in this situation, Mulan. Maybe that is why this particular guardian was sent to Chen. I mean, think about it. He can probably out-maneuver everyone here. And he's immortal. So they can't touch him."

"You're right, Mushu. I'll have to give this some thought."

"What about Shang? Are you going to tell him?"

Mulan groaned. "I don't know. I should tell him. But he worries _so_ about Chen. He'll go out of his mind if he knows Chen is here again."

"There's something else."

"Ohh," Mulan groaned. "What? What?"

"Chen's friend Mi-Ying is here, too."

"Mi-Ying came with him?"

"Yes."

"Where are they?"

"The two of them are hiding in Su-Tan's room. The reason Chen left is because Su-Tan ran away from the palace last night."

"She did?"

"Yes. He knew she was going to be in danger in the forest, so he went to help her. Mi-Ying came to help. They brought Su-Tan back here today."

Mulan stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"To Su-Tan's room."


	5. New Suspicions

**Chapter 5: New Suspicions**

There was a knock on the door of Su-Tan's room and the three of them froze.

"Su-Tan?"

Chen perked up. "That sounds like Mulan!"

"Su-Tan. It's Mulan. Chen's big sister. Are you there?"

Chen nodded to Su-Tan, who went out and opened the door, letting Mulan in.

"Hi, Su-Tan," she said, shutting the door behind her.

"Hi."

"Can I speak to Chen?"

"Uh…"

"I already know that he's here, Su-Tan. Chen? Mushu told me that you're here. Come on out. You too, Mi-Ying."

The trick panel opened and the two of them crept out of the hidden chamber, looking guilty and nervous. Mulan could see the little monkey perched on Chen's shoulder. Apparently, he could make himself visible to other people besides Chen.

"Chen, who is that on your shoulder?" Mi-Ying asked.

"That's Ming. He's my guardian, sent by my ancestors to help me. He didn't make himself visible to anyone else until now."

"Let's all talk now," Mulan said, indicating Ming as well.

"Who is the dragon?" Su-Tan asked.

"Oh, Mushu, you can make yourself visible, too, apparently. This is Mushu, Su-Tan. My guardian."

"Hi, Mushu," Chen said, smiling at the little dragon perched on Mulan's shoulder.

"Hey, kid."

"We were looking for you, Mulan."

"You were?"

"Yes. We were hoping you could help. Um, did you say anything to Shang?"

"No. And Mushu already told me about what Ming did, Chen. I know that he intercepted the message from your grandfather."

Chen bowed his head. "I know. He told me, too."

"Can we go in that room?" Su-Tan whispered. "I don't like staying out in this room."

"Sure," Mulan said.

They all went into the secret chamber and Chen explained how Su-Tan was scared in the palace and had left.

"What are you scared of, Su-Tan?"

"I don't know. I'm just scared here. I can hear footsteps out there all the time." She pointed in the direction of the secret passage.

"Oh, I see."

"I'm afraid they'll come in here," she said, starting to cry.

"Oh, they won't, Su-Tan. I know how scary it must be. There are a lot of strange things going on here, but no one would have any reason to hurt you."

"Mulan, things here are not what everyone thinks," Chen told her.

"I know, Chen. I'm in the middle of it."

"But those men are okay."

"Which men?"

"The ones that Su-Tan has been hearing in the passageway."

"Do you know who they are?"

"I think I know one of them."

"Do you know his name?"

"No."

Mulan had an idea suddenly of how she could pull off her assignment for Ying. "Well, I think I know who one of those men is, at least. I have an assignment that I have to carry out for him. And I have an idea that may work, if you could help, Ming."

Ming grinned.

"I already know what you are thinking. It's a great idea. But we must protect you as well. There is no reason for you to have to be a red herring to carry out your assignment. We must work things out quickly."

She turned to Chen then.

"Chen, I know you wanted to help, but didn't you learn from last time?" she asked him.

"But I knew something bad was going to happen to Su-Tan in the forest."

Mulan sighed again. "I understand, Chen. But you already saw how upset and scared Shang was last time when you were missing and then when your life was in danger. Did you try to tell Grandfather about what you knew would happen to Su-Tan, before you just decided to run off?"

"No. He couldn't have done anything."

"He could have told Shang or me."

"It would have been too late!" Chen insisted, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "Besides, it's a good thing we came. Now you can…"

Mulan covered his mouth. "Alright, Chen. You're right. As it turned out, it is a good thing you came here and that Ming came here, too."

Chen hugged her. Mulan laughed and hugged him back.

"I'll send a message to Grandfather tomorrow, and to your parents, Mi-Ying. I am sure they are very worried about you. I'll tell them that you are with Shang and me and that you are safe."

**xxxxxxx**

Chen pulled the hood of his cloak up and he and Ming walked out of the palace. Ming had transformed himself to look like an adult man that Chen didn't even recognize.

"This is not a bright idea, Li Chen. What if we run into your brother? He could be out here working with his troops."

"We'll hurry and get it done so we can get back inside before we're seen."

They went to the edge of the city where Chen had left his pony earlier. The little horse looked at Ming and, seeing what looked like a man with him but not detecting any scent, began to buck and whinny nervously. Chen spoke to him softly and patted him until he calmed down, then untied him and brought him into the Imperial City to the palace stable. He fed and watered him, then left him there for the night.

"You know, your brother may come here and recognize him."

"I know. But I can't just leave him out there to starve. He's my friend."

"Very well. Now let's hurry and get back inside before we're seen."

"I'll have to come back and take care of him."

"No, you won't. There are palace stable hands. They will take care of him when they take care of the other horses. They'll think it belongs to one of the kids that live in the palace. Now come on. Let's get back inside before we're seen."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan lay in bed brooding that night. She had been deeply troubled about the circumstances of her assignment in the palace all along; and now that she'd received her special assignment from Prince Ying, she was especially so.

She had a plan, and Ming would be helping, along with Mushu. But she hated the fact that she couldn't tell Shang about this assignment. She hated that there were so many other things that she knew that she could not reveal to him right now. And she was sick as she thought of what he was going to think after she carried out Ying's order. He probably wouldn't know what to think, other than that she had gone nuts.

He was her husband. She should be able to tell him everything. She knew she could trust Shang. She wanted his opinion and she wanted to express her concerns to a friend and lover who would understand and believe her.

She'd already violated Ying's instructions anyway. Though she hadn't given them specifics, Chen and the two girls knew that she had a secret assignment that involved Ying, and Chen already seemed to know more than that just from reading her thoughts. At least they wouldn't be talking to anyone in the palace.

And of course, the mere presence of Chen and Mi-Ying was yet another problem.

But there was more than all of that bothering her. A terrible thought had crossed her mind as Prince Ying gave her the assignment, and the more the suspicions permeated her thoughts, the more she was sure that her suspicions were correct.

At first, she had been suspicious of this ruse that Ying wanted her to carry out, not only because it put her in a precarious position, but because he didn't want anyone besides the two of them to know. It was possible that he was setting her up. She would have to be careful and continue to keep a close watch on him, even while carrying out his order.

But Ying's ruse seemed to be designed to reveal Ting. She'd had her suspicions about Ting all along, too. There were too many possibilities and no immediate answers.

And another, much more disturbing conclusion had started to form in her mind as well, as difficult as it was to believe.

It was something that had crossed her mind a few months ago, too, during the last crisis, but then everything had worked out. They had stopped the rebels and prevented the Emperor from being assassinated. And she never had the thought again until now.

She decided that she would have to be very careful around Jiang Shen-Li. And she would have to keep an eye on him; inconspicuously, so that he didn't know that she was watching him.

**xxxxxxx**

Shang had to go out and give additional instructions to the troops stationed on the night watch. When he returned, Mulan was already in bed and he lay down next to her. She had her back to him and he put his arms around her and pulled her against him.

"Hi," she whispered, softly.

"Hi." He kissed her shoulder. "Mulan, is everything alright?"

"Yes, why?"

"You seemed very disturbed all evening."

"I'm fine. I'm just very uneasy here. There is too much going on."

"I know. Have you found out anything else about the assassination of the Emperor or about his sons?"

"No."

She sighed heavily and he squeezed her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Shang. I don't mean to be so moody."

"It's alright. I'm uncomfortable with everything that is happening, too."

She turned over to face him and kissed him.

"So, was it easy enough to keep things under control out there, today?"

"Yes. It was a huge crowd, but everyone was very respectful and calm."

He was silent for a moment, deep in thought.

"The thing is, any riot that would have been incited would have been implemented from within the palace. Not just some odd person in the crowd acting on their own."

"I know."

He looked into her eyes. She looked so anxious and troubled. He stroked her cheek gently.

She smiled at him and kissed him again. "Don't worry about me, Shang."

"How can I not worry about you?"

She changed the subject to a lighter topic then. "How are our three friends doing?"

"You mean the new captains?"

"Yes."

"They're fine. Although I ran into Ling today and he was acting strange. I think Chen's friend Su-Tan was with him. And I thought you were with them."

"Me?"

"Yes. There was someone with them in a black cloak. The hood was up so I couldn't see their face, but she was exactly your height. Your size."

Mulan looked surprised for a moment.

"It wasn't me."

"Hmm."

"Why would I have been there?"

"I don't know. Maybe you were in on one of Ling's pranks," he laughed.

A serious, worried expression crossed her features.

"No, it wasn't me. It was someone else."

**xxxxxxx**

The Imperial City was still mobbed the next day. The people who had made it to the city to pay their last respects to the old Emperor were going to stay to see Prince Ying presented as the new Emperor.

Shang stood on the platform between the palace and the square and surveyed the scene. Everything looked okay. A division of soldiers flanked either side of the main street, and there were guards around the perimeter of the palace and at the entrance. The rest of the soldiers were stationed at the entrances to the city and around the Imperial Square.

Shang and his troops were continuing to keep watch on the city and protect the palace from the outside. Mulan was working with Shen-Li to watch over things on the inside. Along with whatever other mysterious people worked for him.

Shang was very worried about her. She had been so anxious the night before, more than he had ever seen her. And he could see in her eyes how troubled she was, no matter how much she smiled and tried to reassure him that she was fine.

He knew he couldn't force anything out of her. If she didn't want to tell him what was wrong, she wouldn't. And it was possible that she couldn't. She was still a special advisor to the Emperor, including the new Emperor that was about to officially succeed to the throne. She was given special assignments; and he knew that there were probably many things that she was privy to now, things that had to remain between her and Shen-Li and the Emperor.

But it concerned him greatly. The knowledge that she now possessed put her in a very precarious situation. He knew that she could take care of herself just fine. But he still couldn't help but worry about her.

**xxxxxxx**

Prince Ying wanted to meet with Mulan again that day. Mushu came with her, hiding in her collar.

Mulan followed Prince Ying through the labyrinth once more. She thought she was beginning to recognize some of the twists and turns, and some of the rises and falls of the floor; but it was impossible to know really. Though there were lanterns lit, they were spaced sparsely in the passageways, so it was still very dark.

They ended up out in the forest again and at the same temple.

"I have decided that you should carry out the plan before I am to be presented. Not the day of."

"Your Majesty," she began. "I will do as you wish."

"I will be fine. And so will you," he assured her. "Just worry about pulling this off convincingly."

"Your Majesty, I have a plan as to how to pull this off without you being there."

Ying's eyebrows went up. "Really?"

"Yes, sir. You would be safe and no one would know that they weren't seeing you."

"Interesting. You are quite an intelligent young woman, Captain Li."

"Oh-oh, I don't like where this is going," Mushu muttered in her ear. "Careful, Mulan. He is too complimentary."

"If you have a method of carrying this out without me being there, then by all means, that would be better."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"I promise I will explain everything to you as soon as the time is right, Captain."

"Yes, sir. How soon do you want me to arrange this?"

"As soon as possible. And it must be done in the evening when there are people around, but not too many people."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan left the palace after Ying had brought her back to the council chamber. She walked out to the stable to visit with Khan for a little while, hoping that being in the presence of her old and faithful friend would ease her anxiety a little.

The palace stable hands had been taking good care of him. In fact, he was becoming rather spoiled here. But Khan was as glad to see her as she was to see him. She patted him and spoke to him softly.

He nuzzled her, then caught a glimpse of Mushu and snorted at him.

"Hey, hey," Mushu retorted, raising himself up threateningly. "Don't be disrespectful, Khan. I'm a bona fide guardian now."

Khan whinnied in a manner that sounded like laughter.

Mulan laughed and patted Khan. "Don't worry, Khan. Mushu has been taking good care of me."

"And speaking of that, I think that Ying fellow has a thing for you, Mulan."

"His brother is the one that was looking me over, Mushu. In an obvious way, too. Not him."

"Sometimes it's the subtle ones that you have to watch."

"I'll be careful."

"So, what's the plan now?"

"We will talk in private with Ming. I am troubled by many things around here and we need to talk about everything first."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan sat with Mushu, Ming and the three children in the hidden chamber behind Su-Tan's bedroom. They spoke in hushed tones, just in case, but Mushu was keeping aware of what was going on inside the passageway.

"I think that Prince Ying is alright, Mulan," Ming was saying.

"Is that the man you were with before, Mulan?" Chen whispered.

"Yes. You already know, Chen?"

"He's okay. I think he is one of the people out there." He pointed toward the passageway.

"Yes, I thought he must be. So, you think he seems alright, Chen?"

"Yes. He is worried that someone will hurt him."

"Did you ever meet him, Chen?"

"No."

"You said you know one of the men."

"The other man."

"Is the other man Shen-Li?"

Chen shrugged. "I don't know."

"You saw him last time he was here. He was with the Emperor."

Chen suddenly winced and put his hands to his head.

Mulan put her arm around him and rubbed his back, watching him as he calmed himself the way Shang had taught him.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded again.

"You know who I'm talking about. You don't like Shen-Li?"

"No."

"I have my suspicions about him, too, Chen."

"Shen-Li?" Mushu whispered. "The one who let himself get stabbed to save the Emperor last time we were here? How can you be suspicious of him?"

"There are things that have crossed my mind. Even back then there were moments when I wasn't sure about him, Mushu. But then everything worked out and we stopped the rebels. But what if he was in with them all along, then when he saw that we had succeeded in uncovering the information he changed his plan until the next opportunity presented itself? Part of being successful at plotting intrigue is having the ability to improvise and change strategies at the last minute when one plan fails."

"You think he could do that?"

"I think he is a very smart, very clever man and that he is capable of doing anything that he puts his mind to. And he was the first one to blame the Emperor's two sons when he spoke to Shang and me. He already has them set up in our minds as suspects, drawing attention away from him."

"And what about getting stabbed last time?"

"Maybe he was in with Chi Fu all along, but Chi Fu realized he was going to turn on him. Or maybe he came up with some other plan and told Chi Fu to stab him without mortally wounding him. Or maybe it was just an accident. We all thought he was the old Emperor's closest friend. I'm sure the Emperor thought that."

"Do you think he is working with either of the Emperor's sons?"

"I don't know. Or he could be working alone."

"For what purpose?"

"To take over the throne himself. Or maybe to control things from behind the scenes. The old Emperor respected Shen-Li as his closest council, but he listened to ideas and opinions from all of the members of his council as well as him. And he still made his own decisions after listening to everyone's opinion. Maybe Shen-Li wants to have someone on the throne that doesn't have their own opinions, that he can have total control of."

"And you think that he can control Prince Ying?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I think Ying has his own ideas and opinions, but he may be unsure of himself and young enough that he would listen to whatever Shen-Li says. And if Ying is eliminated, Prince Ting would become Emperor. And I think with Ting on the throne, Shen-Li would really be acting as the Emperor. Ting is a playboy and pursues his own pleasures. I don't think he has any interest in running the country. And maybe that's what Shen-Li wants. A puppet on the throne who would leave the running of things to him."

"Then there's Ying's ruse that he wants you to pull off," Ming said. "Could that have something to do with Shen-Li?"

"Maybe. I thought it was aimed at exposing his brother. But maybe it's so he can observe Shen-Li; see how he behaves when he thinks Ting will be the Emperor."

"That actually makes the most sense," Ming commented. "It is also the most logical explanation for Ying's orders to you."

"Yes. And even though I know it seems like I have over-thought this, the more I think about it, the more sure I am that Shen-Li is not what he seems."

"If he has any idea that you are suspicious of him, and your suspicions are right, you will be in great danger," Mushu said.

"Although, you will have done something that Shen-Li wanted done," Ming said.

"That doesn't mean anything." Mulan dropped her head into her hands and groaned. "And I'm sure he has people that we don't know about working for him. I still have to worry about them, too. Ugh, this whole thing is so ugly. And Shang. Shang is not going to understand this at all. He's going to think I've gone insane."

"I don't think Shen-Li will harm you," Ming continued. "He might think he has an ally. But what we need is a stand-in for you, Mulan. That way, you won't be anywhere near him when this happens."

"Who is going to be a stand-in for me? You're going to be the stand-in for Ying. Can you be two people at once?"

"No. But Mi-Ying looks like you when she's dressed in that cloak with the hood up."

"No."

"She is exactly your height and has your build."

"No way. I will not put her in danger."

"She won't be. I'll be there. And they will see that she is a child and they won't harm her. In fact, it will confuse everyone too much. It will work."

"It'll be okay, Mulan," Chen whispered, touching her arm.

She looked at him for a moment. Then she nodded.

"Okay. I still don't like it, though."

She sighed and then turned back to Ming.

"Ying wants this done as soon as possible, and in the evening. It is almost evening now, and there are still details to work out. I think we need to wait until tomorrow."

Ming agreed.

**xxxxxxx**

"Chen, are you sure you should be doing this?" Mi-Ying asked.

"I have to go out for a little while. I've been inside all day. It's dark out. We won't be seen."

He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and followed Su-Tan into the outer room. She opened the door and peered out into the hallway.

"Okay."

Ming jumped onto Chen's shoulder as he followed Su-Tan out the door.

Chen wanted to go outside for a little while. They turned in the direction of the staircase and headed down the corridor. As they were walking they noticed a servant approaching from the opposite direction.

The servant got closer to them and Chen suddenly gasped in surprise as he recognized the man's face. The man put his finger to his lips, indicating that he should be quiet. Chen obeyed and smiled.

The man smiled back and patted Chen on the head as he walked past him. Then he disappeared into one of the rooms down the hall.


	6. More Appearances

**Chapter 6: More Appearances**

Mulan lay in bed waiting for Shang to come back in. He had gone out once again to talk to his night watch.

As anxious and upset as she felt, she was glad to see him when he came into the room and she turned to him, smiling. He had an odd, puzzled expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Shang?"

Shang shook his head. "There are a lot of strange things going on here."

"I know."

He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

"In more ways than one," he murmured. He turned to her. "I saw Su-Tan out there again, in the dark. She was outside in the square, with another child…I could have sworn…" he trailed off.

"What?" she asked, trying to hide her guilt and nervousness over the fact that she knew it was his little brother.

"I thought it was Chen. He was also…in one of those hooded black cloaks, with the hood up so I didn't see his face. That seems to be the latest style around here," he muttered.

Mulan stared at him, mutely, afraid to say anything.

"It wasn't him. I went up to the boy and called to him and when he turned…it was another boy. He was the same size as Chen, but it wasn't him."

Mulan nodded. She knew it had to have been Ming. Chen probably snuck out to get some air. The talented monkey guardian had probably seen Shang coming and sent Chen away, then fooled Shang by transforming himself into a different boy of the same size.

"There seems to be a lot of that going on," he said, thoughtfully.

"Is Su-Tan alright?"

"Yes. I escorted her and her friend back inside."

**xxxxxxx**

After checking in with Shen-Li in the morning, Mulan went off to talk to Ming. They discussed the details of the plan that they would carry out that evening. Then she turned and spoke to Chen.

"Chen, I know it is hard to be in here all day, but you have to be careful."

"That was why I went out at night. Besides, Ming was with me."

"I know. Still. I don't want you going anywhere without me. Okay?"

"Okay."

Mulan turned to Su-Tan. "Su-Tan, would you do something for me?"

She nodded.

"Do you have Shio?"

Su-Tan nodded and got the little wooden dragon out.

"May I?"

She handed Mulan the toy.

"Thank you. I'm going to put a message in here for Shang. I want him to know at least a little bit about what is going on. I need you to wait in my room and give it to him when he returns there. You will be safe. Just wait there. Give him Shio and point out the bottom to him. Would you do that for me?"

She nodded.

"Thank you, Su-Tan."

Mulan went to the outer chamber and found a pen and paper. She returned to the hidden room and wrote her message. She laid the paper out then, letting the ink dry.

"After Ming and I pull this thing off this evening, I will have to be in hiding. I will try to make it back here; but just in case I can't, Ming will return and he will watch over all of you."

"What about me?" Su-Tan asked.

"After you give Shang the message, you can come back here."

She opened the false bottom of Su-Tan's dragon and picked the paper up, looking it over. For the most part it had dried. She blew on the odd splotches of ink that were still wet, then folded the paper and put it inside the little toy.

"Here, Su-Tan. Do you know how to get to my room?"

"I think so."

"Okay. Go there and wait for Shang."

Su-Tan went off into the outer chamber with her toy dragon and headed off for the room where Mulan and Shang had been sleeping.

Mulan turned to Mi-Ying then. "Okay, Mi-Ying, you know what to do?"

She nodded.

"Ming, I know you are going to be busy carrying this out. But please keep an eye on Mi-Ying, too. I don't want anything to happen to her."

"She will be alright, Mulan."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang went back into the palace after leaving things to the night watch once again. He went to his room to wash up before going to dinner.

He was shocked to find the little girl Su-Tan in his room when he walked in. She looked up nervously.

"Su-Tan? What are you doing here?"

Su-Tan wordlessly held out her little wooden toy dragon toward his hands. He looked at her for a moment, puzzled. Then he took it from her.

"Uh, thank you."

She pointed to the bottom, pressing the button that opened the toy up. He turned it over and reached in, pulling out the paper that he felt inside.

He opened it and read it.

_Dear Shang,_

_There are some strange things that will be happening here, and unfortunately I am involved. I cannot give you all of the details. But please know that the things that will be happening tonight and after this are not as they appear._

_Please also be careful with Shen-Li. I have my suspicions about him._

_Mushu is here again, watching over me. Do not worry._

_I love you very much. I will see you again as soon as I can._

_Mulan_

Shang stared at the letter for a long time, reading and re-reading it. Su-Tan stood before him, watching him nervously and fidgeting.

"Su-Tan, do you know where Mulan is now?" he asked gently when he finally looked up from the letter.

She shook her head. He folded the letter back up and put it in his pocket. Then he closed the toy dragon back up and handed it back to her.

"Thank you."

She nodded and he watched her as she began to sidle around him cautiously, watching him as if she was afraid of what he might do. Then she reached the door and hurried out.

Shang washed and went to dinner. He was joined by Yao, Ling and Chien-Po.

"Is something wrong, General?" Chien-Po asked.

"There are a lot of things wrong," Shang sighed, his thoughts on Mulan's letter to him. "And I think Mulan is involved in it all. I guess it's part of her job now. I don't know what I can do for her."

"Well, you know that we'll help, General," Yao said.

"Yeah, Mulan is our good friend."

Tonight was apparently a special night. Ying made an appearance as they ate their dinner then left with his guard. Shang was puzzled as he looked at Ying's strange-looking guard. The man moved in a strange, awkward manner; he shook his head and forgot about it, though.

He thought about what Mulan had written about her suspicions of Shen-Li. Did she think he was involved with the death of the Emperor? He was supposed to have been his most trusted advisor and closest friend. He had pretended to be the Emperor when Chi Fu was out to assassinate him and had gotten stabbed by him in place of the Emperor. Why would he have turned on him just a few months later?

Shang's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of shouting. He saw Shen-Li running out the door. He leaped up and ran after him to see what was going on. His three captains joined him.

"General, in here," one of the guards called to him from the doorway of one of the rooms down the hall.

Shang ran in. Ying was sprawled out on the floor bleeding, a knife in his chest. A different guard was holding the arm of a hooded, cloaked figure that looked like the person he'd seen in the square with Ling and Su-Tan after the Emperor's funeral.

"Mulan?" Shang exclaimed.

"She is the only one here. She must have done this," Shen-Li stated.

"No," Shang answered. "I don't believe it. Mulan would not have done this."

"Yeah, and look. There isn't any blood on her hands," Yao commented. "If she stuck the knife in him, wouldn't there be blood on her hands, or somewhere on her?"

"Where did his guard go?" Shang asked. "Wasn't he supposed to be protecting him?"

"You mean that weird-looking guy?" Ling asked.

"I didn't do it," came a whisper from under the hood.

Shen-Li approached her and yanked her hood back. "What the…?"

"It's a child!" the guard that had found her exclaimed.

"A child?" Ling said. "Hey, is that the girl who looks like Mulan? It is! Hello, Mi-Ying. Remember me?"

"Mi-Ying?" Shang exclaimed.

Mi-Ying was trying to be brave but she looked terrified.

"I didn't do it," she repeated, trembling visibly.

"This girl is a child," Chien-Po said to Shen-Li. "She didn't kill anyone. It must have been that strange guard that came into the dining room with him."

Shen-Li turned to the guard in the room. "Go and get Prince Ting. And do not mention this to _anyone _else."

"Mi-Ying, what are you doing here?" Shang asked, striding over to her.

She bowed her head. She was shaking uncontrollably now.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Mi-Ying," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I just want to know what you are doing here. Come over here and sit down."

She looked up at him, still not speaking, and he led her to a couch in the room and coaxed her to sit down. She buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

Shang was suddenly hit with the realization that she didn't come alone.

"Mi-Ying, is Chen here with you?"

She raised her head slightly but didn't answer.

"Where is he, Mi-Ying?"

She hesitated for a moment. Then she said, tearfully, "With Su-Tan in her room."

The guard returned with a distressed-looking Prince Ting and his own guard. Shen-Li told him what had happened.

"The only one in here when we came in was this little girl. The general and his captains think that the man who was guarding him did this."

"This is not to get out to anyone yet," Prince Ting ordered. Shang could hear the slightest tremble in Ting's voice even though he was trying to be in control. "It will be made known that the installation and presentation of the new Emperor is being postponed because he wishes to have a longer mourning period. Shen-Li, that guard that was with him is probably long gone. But see if you can find him."

Shen-Li bowed and left the room.

Ting turned to the guard that had found Ying. "See that the body is taken care of."

"Yes, your Highness." The guard turned and went to get assistance.

"Who is this girl?" Ting demanded, turning to the crying Mi-Ying.

"I think she is a friend of one of the children that lives here," Ling answered before anyone else could. "She was probably wandering around and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Very well. Take her to wherever she belongs and see that she has adult supervision. General Li?"

"Yes, your Highness?"

"I will be summoning Shen-Li and the rest of the council. After I meet with them I wish to meet with you and with Captain Li. I will send someone to your room when I am ready for you."

"Yes, sir."

Prince Ting left the room with his own guard.

"There are some strange things going on here," Chien-Po commented.

Shang nodded. Then he turned to Mi-Ying.

"Come on, Mi-Ying. Let's go to Su-Tan's room."

"Don't kill him, General Li, okay? He was only trying to help her."

**xxxxxxx**

"Mulan, I think that you are off the hook," Mushu was saying as they returned to the room where she and Shang had been sleeping. They spoke as softly as they could in case anyone was listening in from anywhere.

"They're looking for the 'guard'?" she whispered.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm sure you drew attention to yourself, Mushu. That was a weird-looking puppet you pulled together. Where is it?"

"I left it in one of the passageways in the walls."

"Mulan, now what?" Chen asked.

"We're going to see Shang when he gets back here and the three of us are going to talk, Chen."

"Uh-oh."

"Here you are."

Ming appeared in the room suddenly and sat on the bed beside Chen.

"I heard it went well," she said. "And it looks like I'm not involved at all."

"It went very well. No one suspects you. Mi-Ying totally threw them off and Mushu, though he doesn't have my particular talent, is apparently very good at making man-sized puppets that talk and move."

"Yes, he is," Mulan agreed, grinning.

"They think it was the weird-looking 'guard' that did it. Everyone is now busy chasing after a phantom."

"Is Mi-Ying alright?"

"Li Shang was taking her to Su-Tan's room. He knows Chen is here in the palace now. He thinks Chen is there."

"What is going to happen now, Mulan?"

"I don't know, Chen. Ying will remain in hiding and somehow observe the behavior of the people left standing. I think he is trying to figure out what is really going on here and discover who killed his father."

"His father?"

"The old Emperor. You met him, Chen. He was the nice old man in the yellow robe. He liked you."

"Oh, him. He's here."

"No, not anymore. He was killed. That's who the funeral was for a couple of days ago."

"No, he's here. I saw him."

Mulan stared at him. "What? Are you sure it was him?"

"Yes."

"When did you see him, Chen?"

"Last night, in the hallway."

"In the hallway?"

"Uh-huh, he looked like a servant."

Mulan gazed at him intently, trying to figure out if he had really seen the old Emperor or someone that he mistook for him.

"Is that the only time you saw him, Chen?"

"And in the secret tunnel in the wall."

"When?"

"The day we got here. I didn't see his face really. But I knew it was him. He's a nice man."

"Chen, you are absolutely sure that is who it was?"

"Yes."

Mulan looked at Mushu and Ming.

"This is unbelievable. Is he seeing a ghost roaming the palace?"

Both guardians shrugged.

Mulan frowned at both of them.

"I saw the man that Chen saw last night," Ming explained. "But I don't know who he was. He seemed to be alive, though. Not a ghost."

"Besides," said Mushu. "If he was the ghost of the Emperor, wouldn't he still be dressed as the Emperor? If he was going to be a dressed ghost, why would he be dressed as a servant?"

"Is it possible that he's alive?" she asked the guardians again even though she knew they probably wouldn't know.

The two of them shrugged again, just as she expected.

"Who found the body when he was killed?" Ming asked.

"I'm not really sure. That was never really explained. Just that he was poisoned and that the servant who brought him the poisoned tea died himself by taking poison too."

"He knew me, Mulan," Chen told her. "He smiled at me."

"That's right," Ming said. "He gestured for you to be quiet, too."

Mulan groaned and buried her face in her hands. "This whole mission just gets weirder and weirder with every passing moment."


	7. The Servant

**Chapter 7: The Servant**

Mulan waited with Chen in the room, hoping that Shang would return and that she would be able to explain what had happened. But after only a short while, they heard a knock from inside the wall, beside the bed.

"Hello?" Mulan called out, shielding Chen. Ming hopped onto Chen's shoulder.

The wall opened and out stepped a servant. Mulan looked closely at his face.

"It's him!" Chen exclaimed excitedly.

Mulan covered his mouth. "Your Majesty?" she whispered.

He looked different. He was dressed in servant's clothes as Chen had said and he had cut his beard off. But she recognized him.

"Captain Li Mulan," he greeted her softly.

She knelt before him, continuing to speak quietly. "Your Majesty. I am happy to see you. But very confused."

Chen knelt beside her.

"Hello, young man."

"Hello."

"Come with me, Captain Li. We have much to discuss."

"Chen, stay here. Ming, see that he stays here until Shang gets back, okay?"

Ming nodded.

Mushu hopped onto her shoulder as Mulan followed the Emperor into the hidden room and through the passageway. He led her to the same temple where Ying had taken her.

"Your Majesty, aren't you concerned about being seen wandering the halls out in the open like that?" Mulan asked. "Shang's little brother…"

"Yes, General Li has a very special little brother. As for wandering out in the open, most people see what they expect to see. And do not see what they do not expect to see; even if it is right under their noses. I wish to observe the behavior of certain people in the palace. But I have also been in the passageways, too. I have kept myself unseen."

"Your Majesty, what is happening?" Mulan asked.

"As you know, there was an attempt on my life, which was unsuccessful, as you can now see. The tea that the servant brought me was poisoned. He drank some of it before he poured it for me."

"Why did he drink it?"

"I don't know. He wanted to sneak some of my tea. It was a strange fluke. Ying was with me. He saw that the servant had doubled over and warned me not to eat or drink anything that the servant had brought. But I decided that I would make it appear as if the assassination attempt had succeeded with the idea that the culprit, or culprits, thinking they had pulled it off and being comfortable, would perhaps reveal themselves. I put the servant's clothes on, and we dressed him in my clothes and had him buried as if it was me. Prince Ying told Shen-Li that I was dead and the servant that had poisoned me had escaped."

"Your Majesty, I have my suspicions about Shen-Li. I am very sorry."

"Yes. I have my suspicions about him as well. But he is not working alone. I believe that there are several people on the council working with him. When this crisis is over, the entire council will be replaced."

"Shen-Li told Shang and me that the servant poisoned himself. Did he ever see the servant?"

"No. He lied to you and General Li to cover himself, so you would not think that he let an assassin escape."

"What about Prince Ting?"

"He does not yet know that I am still alive. I believe Shen-Li was going to kill Ying once I was gone so that Ting would be the Emperor. I care for my younger son very much, but he is no ruler. He is more interested in having a good time than in running the country. Shen-Li would be able to control him and would, in essence, be the Emperor. I am sure his idea is that he would keep Ting until he didn't need him anymore, then kill him eventually. But for now, Ting is not in immediate danger as Ying was."

"Is that why Prince Ying wanted his own death faked?"

"I advised him to do that. So he would be safe and to see what Shen-Li would do with Ting. We wanted it to look like you had done it so Shen-Li would believe that you were out of the way."

"But he is the one who had me brought here, isn't he?"

"No. Ying ordered him to have you brought here. But actually, this did not work out badly. Now Shen-Li and his associates will think they have unknown competition and they will be nervous. You are still in trouble, however, because Shen-Li will say that you did not do your job and protect Prince Ying. Until I am able to talk to Ting, you must remain hidden and work from behind the scenes."

"Your Majesty, I must confess that I do not know my way through those passageways very well."

"There is writing below the lanterns along the walls and above the doorways. It is not easy to see if you do not know it is there; once you know where to look, it is. I will show you when we go back in. For now, you and I will continue to watch things, both from the outside and from in the passageways. And Ying will be safe."

"We must come up with a plan then. It is important that there are no loose ends when this is over. Until then, you will be remaining in hiding also, your Majesty?"

"For the most part. Do not worry about me. It is more important to me that Ying is safe."

"How will I contact you?"

"I will contact you, Captain Li Mulan. Keep to the hidden passageways and rooms."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan found her way back to the hidden room behind Su-Tan's room once the Emperor had shown her where the writing was in the passageways. It was not easy to see that writing in the sparse light of those passageways, but she managed. She knocked on the door and quietly identified herself to Su-Tan. Then she opened the door.

Su-Tan and Mi-Ying were sitting in there.

"Mi-Ying, I need your black cloak. Would you mind if I borrowed it?"

"It's yours. Chen gave it to me," she answered, handing it to her.

"Are you in trouble?" Su-Tan asked.

"I have to stay hidden."

"General Li came here to get Chen."

"I know. Mi-Ying, will you stay with Su-Tan and see that she is okay?"

"Yes. General Li told me to stay with her, too."

"Good. I will stop by and check on you again when I can to make sure you're alright."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang returned to his room, puzzled as to how Mulan had found out that Chen was in the palace. The two girls had told him that he had been staying with them, but Mulan had taken him from the room.

He needed to be in his room for when he was sent for anyway. Ting had wanted to speak to Mulan, too; but Shang wondered if she would be there now. After reading that letter, he feared that she was in trouble and was very concerned about her.

He entered the room and shut the door behind him. A nervous-looking Chen sat on the bed, alone in the room. Shang strode over to him.

"Chen, I cannot believe you did this again! I ought to kill you myself!"

"I was just trying to help…"

Shang grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you not to run off?"

"But Su-Tan…"

"Chen…"

"She ran away from the palace and she was going to be killed," he blurted out quickly.

"Remember we said that you would tell an adult when this happened? Did you tell Grandfather?"

"He wouldn't have been able to do anything."

"He could have contacted me."

"No, it would have been too late."

Shang sighed. "Chen. You almost got killed last time you were here and ran off by yourself. Haven't you learned yet?"

"But I couldn't just let her get hurt."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Shang called out. He turned to Chen. "I have to meet with Prince Ting. We will talk about this more when I return. Stay here while I am gone."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang went to speak to his three captains after his meeting with Ting. Ting had wanted to meet with Mulan as well, and said that Shen-Li advised that she was supposed to be guarding Prince Ying. Shang told him that Mulan was missing and that he was concerned for her safety. The explanation seemed to appease Ting and he gave him permission to try to have her found. Ting wanted additional security for himself and Shang advised that he would arrange for it immediately.

He left his three captains after making arrangements with them to have Ting guarded and returned to his room. He heard conversation as he stepped into his room and found Chen sitting on the bed conversing with a tiny monkey.

"Chen?"

"Hi, Shang."

Shang blinked at the monkey. "Who is this?"

"This is Ming, Shang. He's my guardian. Our ancestors sent him."

Shang approached and sat down on the bed beside Chen. "They sent you after he ran away?"

"Yes," Ming answered. "I have been watching over him."

"Well, I'm glad someone was making sure he was safe."

Ming hopped off the bed.

"Where are you going, Ming?" Chen asked.

"I'll be nearby. But your brother wants to talk to you."

Shang watched the little monkey disappear inside the wall. Then he turned to his brother and began to chide him for running away from home.

"We have talked about this many times now. I have never beaten you the way Father used to, but if this doesn't stop I will, Chen."

Chen's eyes widened in shock.

Shang sighed. "I know how difficult it is for you, Chen. You know things are going to happen and you try to help. But it is very dangerous for you. You're too young. And now you brought Mi-Ying into it also."

"I didn't want Su-Tan to get hurt. Mi-Ying wanted to help me. It's bad here. You say it everyday when you come home. So did Father when he was alive."

"I have never said that, Chen. And neither did Father." It suddenly occurred to Shang that they both must have thought it, though. And Chen had read their minds.

But Chen just shrugged. "I thought maybe you and Mulan could help Su-Tan when we got her back here. She's scared and she doesn't like it here. Can she come live with us, Shang?"

Shang sighed. "No, I don't think so, Chen. And I don't know how long we're going to have to be here. Mulan is missing…"

"No, she's okay, Shang. She's with the Emperor," Chen whispered.

"The Emperor?" Shang stared at his brother for a moment, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "How do you know, Chen?"

"I saw her go with him. There."

Chen pointed at the wall. Shang looked at where he pointed, realizing that he meant that Mulan was in the hidden passageway. He turned back to his brother with a sigh.

"Alright, Chen. I'll write to Grandfather tomorrow and let him know that you are here. Then we'll arrange to get you home."

"Grandfather knows. Mulan already wrote to him."

"Mulan wrote to him?"

"Mushu told her I was here. She wrote to Grandfather and to Mi-Ying's family. Shang, is Mi-Ying staying with Su-Tan tonight?"

"Yes."

"Are they going to okay by themselves?"

"They'll be fine, Chen. We can stop by and see them in the morning."

Shang coaxed Chen into bed then.

"Shang, I want to stay here with you and Mulan."

"Chen, it's time to go to sleep."

Shang lay awake for a long time after he put Chen to sleep, wondering about Mulan and thinking about the letter he had received from her. He knew now that she had been talking about Prince Ying's assassination in that letter. Somehow she was involved in everything and he was worried about her. He was still trying to figure out why she had suspicions of Shen-Li. He had helped to save the Emperor last time. He couldn't fathom why he would suddenly turn on him. But he knew that Mulan must have a very good reason if she was suspicious of him.

**xxxxxxx**

In the morning Shang walked with Chen to Su-Tan's room to check on the girls as he had promised.

"Shang, can I stay with Su-Tan and Mi-Ying today?" Chen asked as they walked.

"Yes, Chen. But you are to stay there. Understood?"

"Yes."

"I mean it, Chen. Don't just say 'yes' and then do what you want anyway."

"I'll stay there, Shang."

"Ah, General, I didn't realize that your little brother was here with you."

Shen-Li was down the hall in front of them, approaching.

"Hello, young man."

"Hello," Chen answered politely. But Shang felt Chen nervously tighten his grip on his hand.

"He became friendly with Su-Tan on their last adventure together," Shang explained. "He's visiting with her while I'm working. I'm sorry, sir. I should have told you."

"No, no. It's quite alright. Carry on."

He passed them and they continued on to Su-Tan's room.


	8. Meetings

A/N: I finally have another chapter up! Thanks for all the reviews, and I especially want to thank **Niky13** for your encouragement and interest in this story; it made me start to think about it again and I have finally started to figure out how I want to continue. It will be a slow process, but I will keep updating as things come to me. I had emailed you on your website, but I'm not sure if you got it. I may have made a typo when I put in my email address.

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 8: Meetings**

Shang would now be dividing his time between overseeing the troops in the city and overseeing the protection of Prince Ting.

He was still pondering the events of the past twenty-four hours. He was concerned about Mulan and he was uneasy about the obvious intrigue occurring in the palace. And he was worried about Chen being there in the middle of it, with Mi-Ying.

Ever since he had learned about Chen's special gift things had been less difficult, but they still weren't easy. He now knew where a lot of his little brother's odd behavior and emotional outbursts came from and understood how to handle him better. In fact, the outbursts occurred much less often now.

He realized how difficult it was for someone so young to deal with such a gift. He'd been teaching his little brother to meditate and Chen had been learning those lessons well and really trying to implement them so that he would remain calm when his incredible insights occurred. But still, Chen couldn't help but react emotionally and impulsively to those insights sometimes and he continued to do things like run away from home. His intentions were always good; in this case he had wanted to help his little friend. But his actions were unwise, too, and part of his immaturity.

Chen had pointed into the wall the previous night, indicating that Mulan was in the hidden passageways. He had said she was with the Emperor. That was really confusing. Especially since he could have been referring to one of two possible Emperors, both who were supposedly dead.

Shang was beginning to wonder about that, too.

He was also wondering about Shen-Li. Chen was so prescient about people. A couple of months before he had seen Chen with Shen-Li, and Chen hadn't been scared of him at all. He had answered the man calmly when Shen-Li had asked him a question. Yet, when they had passed Shen-Li in the hall that morning, he had reacted with fear. What had changed in just a few months?

He was hopeful that maybe Su-Tan would have another note from Mulan in her little toy dragon.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan knew that the Emperor himself was watching Shen-Li and the other councilmen. But another thought had occurred to her. While it was certainly possible that the councilmen were involved, there were other groups of people in the palace who could certainly be involved as well.

There were the concubines first of all; and while their only purpose in the palace was for the pleasure of the Emperor and other men there, there was nothing to stop them from being involved in plotting and intrigue. In fact, they might even be privy to things that many of the councilmen were not privy to.

The other group to consider was the servants, including the cooks, the maids and the like. The person that had brought the food and drink to the Emperor obviously had no idea that the tea was poisoned or he wouldn't have snuck any of it. She still thought that was the weirdest thing she had ever heard of; but she'd learned that there were many types of people in the world.

The food and tea had come from the kitchen, though; it made sense that someone in the kitchen had to be involved in some way. Even if it was just following the orders of a councilman or a higher up; they were still involved.

She decided that she would start there. She had figured out the "map" that existed underneath the lanterns in the hidden passageway, and she now made her way to the kitchen.

**xxxxxxx**

Shang checked in with Prince Ting that afternoon and found him in the middle of an argument with Shen-Li. The prince was relieved to have the protection but he was also somewhat perturbed that he had to have company. Apparently he liked to spend time with one of the concubines every afternoon and was quite annoyed that he couldn't, since Shen-Li argued that at least one guard had to be present with him at every moment now.

"Can't they just wait outside for an hour?" he complained, obviously annoyed that his lifestyle had been cramped.

"With all due respect, your Highness," Shen-Li began, obviously biting back a laugh, "the concubines could just as likely be involved with this. How do you know that this one won't be the one to come in here and knife you? And you would be caught completely off-guard."

"She is _not_ one of the concubines," Ting retorted, indignantly.

Shang groaned, inwardly, unable to believe that he had to witness this conversation.

"As soon as we are assured that you are safe, we will have to arrange your presentation as the new Emperor," Shen-Li continued.

Prince Ting rolled his eyes and muttered something. Shang was beginning to realize that Ting was interested in women and fun, and he had absolutely no interest in being the Emperor or in having anything to do with ruling the country. If he was right about that, then Ting was innocent of any plotting and intrigue. That left Shen-Li and whoever else he was working with. He realized that Mulan's suspicions were probably right about him.

Shang resolved to keep a close eye on Shen-Li from now on.

**xxxxxxx**

As soon as Shen-Li and General Li were gone, Ting ordered the officers to wait outside.

"But, your Highness, Shen-Li and the general…" one began.

"I don't care about them. Go outside. I will call you back in when I need you."

The two officers hesitated.

"Go! That is an order! I will answer for you if either of them say anything about it."

The officers left reluctantly.

Once the door was shut, Ting went into the hidden chamber, as his lovely Lei-Li had advised him the day before when he had met her. But when he got inside, it wasn't Lei-Li that he found in there. To his great shock, it was his father.

"There is much to explain to you, my son," said his father. "I will tell you everything."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan slid the trick panel open slightly and peered through the small opening into the kitchen. The room was filled with the noise and clattering of pots and pans and numerous conversations. She saw Shen-Li there. He was having a long, heated discussion with one of the cooks, a youngish, very beautiful woman.

It was hard to hear their specific conversation among all the other conversations and other noise, but she managed to pick out the woman addressing him. Only she didn't address him as Jiang Shen-Li.

She addressed him as Jiang Bin-Ling.

Mulan slid the panel shut and ran back through the passageways, hoping to run into the Emperor. He hadn't told her where he was going to be; just that he would contact her. She looked at Mushu, thinking that maybe she could send him to look for the Emperor. She decided to wait. First she had to get a message to Shang.

She ran back to the chamber behind Su-Tan's room. She knocked and called to the three children softly, then opened the door. The chamber was empty. She crossed to the other side and slid the panel open slowly. The three children were sitting in the outer room. No one else was in the room.

"Mulan, can we help?" Chen asked as she stepped out into the room.

Mulan gestured for them to come into the hidden room. They got up and she shut the panel once they were inside.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked.

They nodded.

"General Li brought Chen here this morning," Mi-Ying told her.

"Okay, good. He's looking out for you guys, too."

"Mulan, can we help?" Chen asked again.

"I need to find the Emperor. And Su-Tan, I need you to give Shang another message, okay?"

She nodded and handed Shio to her again.

"Would you go out and bring in some paper and ink for me?"

Su-Tan hurried out to the outer room and returned a minute later.

"Thank you. I will have to be hidden until I find the Emperor. I will keep coming here.

"Mulan, that man Shen-Li…there's something wrong…" Chen began but she cut him off.

"I know, Chen. That's why I have to find the Emperor and why I have to get this message to Shang."

"I can help."

"No, Chen. You must stay here."

"But Ming will protect me," he insisted, indicating the little monkey who was perched on his shoulder as he always was now.

"I know he will. But I don't want you involved again. And I know Shang doesn't want you involved."

"The cook called him a different name…"

"I know, Chen," she sighed. The boy was really too much. He was like a little sponge that soaked other people's thoughts and experiences in.

She looked at Ming, appealing for help.

"It's a different man," Ming said, simply.

"That's what I thought. Do you know who he is, Ming?" she asked.

"A twin brother."

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: More chapters to follow shortly.


	9. Chen's Gift

A/N: Another chapter up finally! Thanks to all who have been reading and reviewing. I know there are so many different things going on in this story. Let me know if it is getting too convoluted.

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 9: Chen's Gift**

"A twin brother? And it didn't occur to you to tell me sooner?"

"I wasn't sure until now."

Mulan gave him a look of doubt.

"And you?" she asked, turning to Mushu.

"I wasn't sure until now either."

"And how come no one besides Chen and I could see you before, and now all of a sudden you can make yourself be seen by anyone, Mushu?"

"I wasn't a guardian after I was demoted, so I lost my powers. Once I became a guardian again, my powers began to come back, little by little. Now I can make myself seen and heard by other people, if I choose to. Or I can just be seen and heard by you. Well, and Chen, too, since he is an exception to the rule."

"You're both sneaky guardians," Mulan muttered, shaking her head.

"So, what's the plan, Mulan?" Mushu asked.

"I'm going to have Su-Tan give Shang this note about Shen-Li's twin, Jiang Bin-Ling. And about the Emperor and Ying."

"If you're telling him about the Emperor, make sure he knows to burn the letter after he reads it," Mushu cautioned.

"Way ahead of you, Mushu," she answered, continuing to write the letter.

"Do either one of you know where the real Jiang Shen-Li is? Or are you not sure about that now either?"

They both shrugged again.

"How about the Emperor? Do you know where he is?"

She got the same reaction from the two little guardians.

She rolled her eyes.

"Mulan, I can help you find them," Chen said.

"Do you know where they are?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. But I know I can help."

Mulan studied him, pondering something.

"Mulan, maybe he can touch something that belongs to Shen-Li," Mushu suggested. "He might get something. The way he did with Su-Tan's toy dragon when it was being used by the rebels to transport messages. He's got this unusual gift. Being as he's here anyway, use it to help you."

Mulan looked at Chen. "I was thinking that, too, Mushu. What do you think, Chen? Do you think you can help us find Shen-Li that way?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. But I never know when it's going to happen. A lot of times it just comes to me."

"Okay. We should at least try it. We need to find Shen-Li. Once we find him, he may be able to shed light on what Bin-Ling is up to and why."

She bent over the letter that she was writing to Shang, adding that Chen was with her.

"He's going to kill me," she muttered.

She finished the letter and began to blow on some of the splotches that were still wet to they would dry faster.

"Ming, promise me that you will stay with Chen every second."

"I promise."

The ink was dry finally and Mulan folded the letter and put it inside Shio, then handed the toy back to Su-Tan.

"Thank you, Su-Tan. Mi-Ying, would you go with her to our room, so that she's not alone?"

"Of course."

"Wait there for Shang. He'll make sure you guys are safe then. Okay?"

The two girls nodded.

"I'll see you guys later. Come on, Chen."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang was glad to find Su-Tan in the room when he returned that evening. He was surprised that Mi-Ying was there, too, but she explained that Mulan had asked her to go with Su-Tan.

Shang nodded and accepted the toy dragon that Su-Tan held out to him. He opened the bottom and pulled the letter out, handing the dragon back to Su-Tan. He unfolded the paper and went over to the desk in the room to read it.

He cursed under his breath after reading and re-reading her letter. She had Chen with her.

He sighed. He had to burn the letter. The girls had already lit the lantern on the desk and he lowered the paper into the flame.

The Emperor was alive. Prince Ying was alive. And Shen-Li had a twin brother who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Mulan was going to try to meet him in their room that night so she could explain all the details to him. He was praying that she would bring Chen back then.

Once the letter had burned and disintegrated into ashes he turned to the two girls, who were staring at him nervously.

"It's alright. Have you both eaten?"

They shook their heads.

"Come on. We'll get dinner and then I'll make sure you get back to Su-Tan's room safely."

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan hurried off through the passageway, Chen's hand in hers. Ming remained perched on his shoulder, Mushu perched on hers.

"Where are we going?"

"To Ting's chamber. I'm hoping that maybe we'll find Bin-Ling there, impersonating Shen-Li."

After wandering through the hidden passageways for a long time, Chen pointed as they came to a door.

"He's in there. The Emperor."

"I think this is Ting's room."

She knocked on the door. It was opened slowly and Ting peered out at her.

"Captain Li. Come in."

Mulan stepped into the hidden chamber between the passageway and Ting's room, leading Chen in with her.

"Ah, you found me, Captain Li Mulan," the Emperor greeted her, warmly.

"Actually, Chen found you."

"Hello, young man."

"Hello."

"I have informed Ting of everything."

"With your permission, your Majesty, I have discovered something new. I know you were watching the members of your council. But it occurred to me that the servants, and others, could be involved. I started by watching the kitchen, figuring that the poison in your tea or your food came from there. Shen-Li was in there, talking to one of the cooks. But she didn't call him Jiang Shen-Li. She called him Jiang Bin-Lin. I think he is a twin brother who is impersonating Shen-Li. I am hoping that maybe Chen can help us find Shen-Li."

The Emperor looked surprised. "A twin brother?"

She nodded.

"He never spoke of a twin brother. I have known Shen-Li for many, many years."

The Emperor pondered for several minutes, then looked at Chen.

"I remember how gifted and unique General Li's little brother is," the Emperor stated, smiling kindly at Chen. "I am sure he can help."

"Yes. I was thinking that we could start by getting an object that belongs to Shen-Li. Chen may be able to figure it out when he touches it. He can do that. And we should check the palace dungeon as well."

The Emperor smiled. "I will take you to Shen-Li's room. Then I will check the dungeon."

Mulan stared at him, worriedly.

"Food and drink needs to be brought down there, both to the guards and the prisoners. Do not worry. I appear as a servant. No one has ever noticed me this way. Only General Li's clever little brother."

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: I will try to update again as quickly as possible. I've been kind of stuck on this story, but I _am_ working on it again. Please review and let me know what you think so far.


	10. Mei Lin

A/N: Another chapter up! Thank you again to all who read and reviewed. I especially want to once again thank **Angel452** who has reviewed me every step of the way on this story and other stories.

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 10: Mei-Lin**

Mulan and Chen snuck into Shen-Li's room. Ting summoned Bin-Ling to keep him occupied while they were there. She was still very concerned that the Emperor himself was searching the dungeon for Shen-Li. But then, the Emperor had been wandering around the palace in the open and had been discovered by no one other than Chen. Still, she was too concerned to let it go, so she had Mushu follow him, keeping himself hidden.

Once in Shen-Li's room, Mulan handed objects to Chen one by one. Chen just shook his head as he held each object, running his fingers along some of them and closing his eyes, clasping others tightly. After numerous tries, Mulan gave up on things that were visible in the room and began to check for objects in the closets and in the drawers of the bureau. A letter caught her eye and she picked it up, reading it. It was a love letter from Bin-Ling to someone named Mei-Lin. She stared at it, wondering if Mei-Lin was someone in the palace; maybe that cook that she'd found him talking to in the kitchen. After all, she knew who he really was.

An idea came to her and she moved toward Chen, holding out the letter to him. He took it and gasped, dropping it on the floor.

"What, Chen?"

He just shook his head and backed away from the place where the paper had fallen. She stooped down and picked it up.

"Chen," she said, gently, putting an arm around his shoulder. "Try it again. Don't worry. I'm right here if you get scared."

He hesitated for a moment, then took the letter from her reluctantly. A pained expression crossed his features as he grasped the letter tightly, beginning to crumple it slightly.

"She's here."

"Is she the same woman I saw?"

He shrugged. "She doesn't love him," he said simply.

Mulan watched him as he continued to clasp the letter, appearing to be in less pain now as he did so.

"Do you get any sense about Shen-Li?"

"No."

He handed the letter back to her and she put it back where she found it.

"Come on, Chen. Let's get back to the room so we can talk to Shang."

**xxxxxxx**

When Shang returned to his room Chen was still not back yet and there was no sign of Mulan. He paced, worried about both of them and angry with Mulan for bringing his little brother back into the mess. She had explained why she had him with her. She thought he could help them find Shen-Li.

Shang shook his head. He was almost on the verge of chuckling and would have if he weren't so worried. Leave it to Mulan to come up with that idea. Life with Chen had always been interesting given his unique talents. Life with Chen and Mulan was a little overwhelming at times.

He turned as he heard a sound inside the wall, by the bed. A moment later, the wall slid open sideways and Mulan stepped out into the room, pulling Chen in behind her and shutting the panel.

"Hi, Shang," Chen said, hopping over to his big brother.

"Good evening, General," she greeted him, grinning.

At once Shang felt like shaking her and hugging her; he opted for the latter as she approached him and slipped her arms around his waist, leaning up to kiss him.

"Mulan, you had me so worried." He reached down and ruffled Chen's hair. "About both of you."

"That's why I sent you the letter. So you would know what is going on."

"Why did you bring Chen into this?"

"I can help, Shang," he insisted.

Shang glanced at the little monkey guardian who was perched on his little brother's shoulder. Ming just peered back at him, remaining silent. He turned back to Mulan.

"What happened to Mushu?"

"I sent him to look after the Emperor when he went to look for Shen-Li in the dungeon. He said no one has noticed him while he's dressed as a servant, but I was still worried."

"He's dressed as a servant?"

"Have a seat, Shang. I have a lot to explain to you."

Shang listened to everything she told him, blinking in disbelief at some of it.

"I can't stay here long," she told him after she finished giving him all the details of everything that had been going on. "Even though I'm not accountable to Ting anymore about Prince Ying's death, Bin-Ling doesn't know that. I have to remain hidden."

He nodded as she stood to go and stood up with her.

"Is there any plan yet?"

"We need to find Shen-Li first. Then we will figure out how all will be revealed and how the enemies of the Emperor will be drawn out."

Shang slipped his arms around his wife's waist again. "I love you, Mulan. I've missed you being here with me so much."

"I love you too, Shang. I hope this will all be over soon."

They kissed and embraced one more time, then Mulan slid the panel to the hidden chamber open.

"Please be careful."

"Shang, I wouldn't let anything happen to Chen. And Ming will not leave his side for a second. He already promised me."

She disappeared into the hidden chamber and slid the panel shut.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan had been sleeping for just a couple of hours every night in a hidden chamber near Su-Tan's room, figuring that no one would be looking for her there and that she could hear any screams that might come from Su-Tan's room. As tired as she was, she lay awake now, unable and unwilling to fall asleep until Mushu returned and told her that the Emperor was safe.

He finally showed up, excited and breathless. "Mulan, come with me."

She leaped up. "What is it?"

"The Emperor is safe. But I think he may have been recognized."

Mulan cursed. "What about Shen-Li? Did you find him in the dungeon?"

"No."

Mulan raced after him through the hidden chamber. She followed as he continued out of the palace and into the forest, aiming for the temple where she had met with Prince Ying and the Emperor previously.

The temple was empty when they got there. Mushu pointed to a monastery that stood behind the temple at somewhat of a distance. "There."

She hurried to the monastery, grateful that it was night and that she would be less visible. She passed through the gate and hurried inside. The place was deserted.

"Who's there?" a harsh, demanding voice suddenly rang out.

"It's Captain Li."

The Emperor and Prince Ying both stepped out of the shadows. Mulan knelt down and bowed.

"I am glad to see you," said the Emperor. "How did you know?"

"It's a long story."

"General Li's little brother again, I suppose."

"Your Majesty, you may have been recognized in the dungeon."

"No. Not in the dungeon. I was recognized by Mei-Lin. She is one of the cooks."

Mulan recognized the name from Bin-Ling's letter.

"She saw you in the kitchen?"

"No. She was supposed to be working, but she must have slipped away. Maybe to see Shen-Li's twin brother, if she is the one involved, which I strongly suspect. She passed me in the hallway and recognized me."

"Who is she?"

"She is one of the cooks."

"Oh." Mulan suddenly sensed that she had stumbled upon something personal with him. After all, he knew her name. She remained silent for a long time, then finally found her voice, coming up with a more neutral question.

"Would she have any reason to want to harm you?"

"Possibly. I don't know what that reason is yet, though."

Mulan nodded. "Shen-Li was not found in the dungeon?"

"Unfortunately not. I don't know where to begin looking for him. Did you have any luck with General Li's brother?"

"No."

"I only hope that he is still alive. Bin-Ling has not left the palace; he has been too busy dealing with General Li, and with giving the appearance that he is protecting Ting. Either Shen-Li is gone, or he is hidden somewhere in the palace. Since we don't know Bin-Ling's motives we do not know if he even had a continued need for Shen-Li. But I will continue to look."

"Father, you cannot be there now if she recognized you," Prince Ying spoke up.

"It is alright, my son. I will stay in the hidden passageways and no longer walk in the outer hallways."

"With all due respect, your Majesty, I am concerned for your safety as well. If Mei-Lin recognized you, and she is the one involved, she will get word to Bin-Ling. They will be looking for you. And Bin-Ling seems to have Shen-Li's knowledge of the hidden passageways. You will not be safe."

"It is alright. My only concern is that Ying is safe. My eldest son will make a just and wise ruler and it is important to me that he be alive and well, to inherit the throne when I am truly gone."

"Yes, your Majesty. I will continue to look for Shen-Li in the palace as well. Is there any section that I may be overlooking?" she asked. "Any hidden cellar? A room that may not be marked under the lanterns?"

"No. Everything is marked. And the dungeon is the cellar. I will stay in the palace and continue to look there while you search the surrounding area. Maybe the forest areas surrounding the Imperial City. Or in the city itself. We must be overlooking something."

"Yes, those areas have not been searched at all yet. I will start searching immediately. What about Mei-Lin?"

"I will keep an eye on her. She would be the one most likely to lead me to Shen-Li if he is in the palace."

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: Another chapter to follow shortly.


	11. The Search

A/N: Thanks to all who have been reading this, whether you have reviewed or not, and I hope that my story has been enjoyable so far. Another chapter done!

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 11: The Search**

Shang sat on the bed after Mulan left and folded his arms, staring at Ming. So, the tricky little monkey guardian could make himself look like different people.

He thought about the night that he saw Su-Tan with Chen; only when he approached them, it was another boy with her. Now he was beginning to realize that it _was_ Chen that he saw. But somehow, before he caught up to them, Chen managed to disappear and Ming made himself look like a different boy of Chen's size.

Ming peered back at him, his face serene, expressionless.

Shang sighed and shook his head, wondering if Ming had ever impersonated him. It wouldn't surprise him at all.

"Shang?"

"What is it, Chen?"

"Ming was only trying to help."

"Hmm?"

"He didn't want you to know I was here because he thought you would worry."

"And he was right. Chen, I mean it. After this is over, if you ever do anything like this again…"

"I won't."

"You said that last time, and you went ahead and did it again anyway."

Chen remained silent.

"It's time for bed. Come on."

"What about Su-Tan and Mi-Ying?"

"They're fine. I took them back to Su-Tan's room after dinner. And I'll take you there in the morning, so you'll see them then."

**xxxxxxx**

"We have a problem, Jiang Bin-Ling. The Emperor is still alive. I don't know who drank the poison and was buried. But I saw him in the hall earlier when I was on my way to Shen-Li."

"We have more than one problem. Come in and see what we found in one of the passageways."

She followed him into his chamber and gaped at the straw puppet in an Imperial guard uniform.

"What is it?"

"I suspect it's the 'guard' that the witnesses saw with Prince Ying."

"What is going on?"

"I don't know. But there's more. Prince Ying's body disappeared."

She pondered for a couple of minutes. "Someone killed Prince Ying before we had a chance to and must have stolen his corpse to make us nervous. They are playing games with us. We must find out who it is, who knows about us and is doing this; maybe they are setting it up so that they can blackmail us. What about the woman? Mulan?"

"No one has seen her since Ying's death. Ting is holding her responsible for his brother's death. She was supposed to be protecting him."

"She is in hiding then."

"I don't know," Bin-Ling spoke with great doubt in his voice. "This whole thing is not going as planned at all. We should leave and get away safely."

"We are not leaving."

"Mei-Lin, listen, we could…" he began, taking her hand.

"We are not giving up. Not after all this. We just have to alter our plan. Maybe it is just as well that we didn't succeed at killing the Emperor. He should know the truth anyway."

"What about my brother, Mei-Lin?"

"He is still alive for now. There may be more information that we need from him; especially since the old Emperor is still around. I'm sure we'll find some use for him."

"Mei-Lin, if you saw the Emperor, he saw you, too. Would he have recognized you?"

"Maybe. But I doubt he suspects me of anything. After all, it was a long time ago."

**xxxxxxx**

In the morning Shang took Chen to Su-Tan's room so he could be with the two girls, then he went out to his troops.

The news of the so-called death of Prince Ying had been kept hidden, but there seemed to be a sense among people in the city that something wasn't right. Shang was worried about a disturbance of some sort, and he wanted to make sure the city guard was prepared for anything.

Mulan had told him to keep the information that she'd given him to himself for now. Though she trusted Yao, Ling and Chien-Po, she didn't want them to know yet either.

Shang sighed. He felt worried and helpless when he thought about her. It seemed that everyday he stayed in the same places, making sure the prince was safe, making sure the city was safe. Meanwhile, Mulan was running around inside the palace walls involved in a complicated intrigue that, though he was aware of now, he had absolutely no part of; and he had no way of intervening and helping her were she to wind up in trouble.

And now, thanks to his unique gift, Chen was involved again.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan and Chen left the palace through the inner passageway, both of them dressed in black cloaks again. Mushu hid in her cloak and Ming was hiding in Chen's. They came out in the forest to the east of the city, at the entrance that they were both familiar with already.

She knew this forest from last time, and didn't have any sense that Shen-Li would be hidden there. It was a dense, dark forest, with no temple, no structures at all, not even along the road; at least not until further away from the city. She glanced at Chen.

"What do you think, Chen?"

Chen looked at her.

"Do you have any sense of Shen-Li being here?"

He looked around the forest, then closed his eyes for a minute. Then he shook his head. "He's below the ground."

"Do you know where?"

He shook his head again.

"Can you see what the place looks like? Is it a cave or a hole in the ground? Or is it like a cellar inside a house?"

"It's inside."

"Good. That's a start."

She led him back into the palace.

"Where are we going?"

"We have to get into the Imperial Square, but we need to do it from inside the palace. We can't risk being seen by the guards at the city entrance."

"What if someone sees you?"

"I'll take care of that," said Ming.

"Thank you, Ming," Mulan said. "I was going to ask you if you would do that."

"No problem."

They went through the passageways again, stopping at the hidden chamber behind the room where she and Shang had been staying.

"I'll go first," said Ming.

Before their eyes he transformed himself into her exact double, though not dressed in a cloak. They all went out into the hallway then, Mulan and Chen following Ming with their faces still hidden.

One of the guards recognized 'her' as they approached the main hallway, near the palace entrance.

"Captain Li Mulan," the guard exclaimed, seizing Ming's arm. "Shen-Li has been looking for you frantically. I must take you to him."

Ming turned to Mulan and Chen and spoke in Mulan's voice. "Mi-Ying. Chen. Try to find Shang and tell him what has happened. Okay?"

They both nodded obediently. He turned back to the guard.

"I will explain my recent whereabouts to Shen-Li. He should know what has happened."

"Very well. That's between you and him. My orders were to bring you to him when you were found."

Ming winked at the two of them then followed the guard. Mulan and Chen hurried out the door and into the Imperial Square.

Mushu poked his head out of her collar as they walked through the square. "I guess it's up to me to look out for both of you now."

"You don't mind, do you, Mushu?" she teased him.

"Ming will be back soon," Chen said.

Mulan tried to perpetuate the illusion of a mother and son walking together as they strolled through the streets hand in hand, trying to seem like part of the crowd browsing in the market.

They reached one of the streets that formed the perimeter of the city and turned, following it for a little while. They turned again, back toward the square, arriving there at a point behind the palace. Mulan vaguely noticed a small temple at a distance behind the palace, thinking that she should go to pray.

Chen had stopped suddenly and he was staring at the same temple. He tugged at her hand and pointed to it.

She squeezed his hand in response and nodded. "Shall we go say a prayer, Chen?"

He nodded.

They strolled over to the temple casually. It was fairly run down and it looked like no one had been there in awhile. It was empty when they went in. Mulan lit some incense and knelt down to pray. Chen knelt beside her and caught her eye, pointing to the floor underneath the altar. She gave him a questioning look and he nodded.

She noticed the frightened look in his eyes suddenly as the sound of footsteps behind them came to their ears. Mulan bowed her head, pretending to be deep in prayer and Chen followed suit.

The person that had entered came up to her left and lit another stick of incense. After placing the stick in one of the burners, the person knelt down before the altar.

"It's the woman from the kitchen," Mushu muttered in her ear. "Mei-Lin."

Mulan pretended that she was finished praying, then stood up and held her hand out to Chen, keeping her face turned away from Mei-Lin. Chen, who knew to also keep his head down so he wouldn't be seen, took it and stood up, and they exited the temple.

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: Thanks to all for reading. More to follow soon.


	12. The Temple

A/N: Next chapter done and posted!

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 12: The Temple**

"What now, Mulan?" Chen asked once they had put distance between themselves and the temple where they had left Mei-Lin.

"Well, we're sure now that he's in the cellar under the altar but he's probably not alone."

"No, he isn't."

"We need to get back into the palace."

"Mulan, I'm hungry," Chen said.

"So am I, Chen."

"I'll get you both something," said Mushu.

Mushu had been bringing Mulan food since she had been hiding, but hadn't had time that morning. She watched as he darted over to one of the vendors and took some food for them.

"Mushu, have you been stealing the food from the vendors?" she asked when he returned and handed her the food.

"Don't worry, I left money for the guy. I've been getting it from the palace kitchen the other times. They can afford it."

Mulan rolled her eyes at Mushu as he pulled out a cookie that he'd taken for himself. He began to munch on it once he saw that Mulan and Chen were taken care of.

They sat on a bench together eating and watching the temple, waiting for Mei-Lin to appear.

"Once Mei-Lin leaves the temple and is out of sight, we can try to find Shang and tell him about Shen-Li. Chen, do you have a picture in your head of how many men there are guarding Shen-Li down there?"

Chen shook his head, still scarfing down his food hungrily.

"Okay, you can try again when you're done eating."

**xxxxxxx**

Shang was in the room with Prince Ting and Shen-Li, who he now knew was Bin-Ling. Bin-Ling was trying to convince Prince Ting to get on with the presentation of him as the new Emperor. Prince Ting insisted that he would not do any such thing yet. He was still mourning his father and now his brother and he was not ready to take the throne.

"With all due respect, your Highness, people in the city are beginning to wonder what is going on."

"No one knows the truth yet, Shen-Li. You will see to it that the people are informed of my profound grief over the loss of both my father and my brother at the same time."

He bowed. "Yes, your Majesty."

One of the guards entered the room and bowed before the prince.

"Your Highness, Captain Li Mulan has been found. The guard who found her is outside with her."

"Bring her in," Ting ordered.

The guard turned and gestured to the other guard to bring her in.

Shang was puzzled. How had the guard found her? She told him that she had to remain hidden. Why would she have come out into the open?

Mulan appeared with the two guards. She bowed before Ting.

"Your Highness."

"Captain Li Mulan, Shen-Li has been looking for you and I have been wondering where you have been as well. You were supposed to be guarding my brother and you were nowhere to be found when he was killed."

"Forgive me, your Highness, I was attacked."

"By who?"

"I'm not sure. There was a strange-looking guard with Prince Ying. I think he knocked me unconscious. I woke up inside one of the passageways of the palace."

Shang stared at her bewildered. What was she doing?

"General Li told me that he was worried that something may have happened to you."

"Excuse me, your Highness," Bin-Ling interrupted. "Captain Li, there was no strange-looking guard with Prince Ying."

"We saw him."

Bin-Ling shook his head.

"What are you talking about, Shen-Li?" Prince Ting asked him.

"We found the so-called strange guard that had been with Prince Ying. It was a straw dummy in an Imperial guard uniform. No, there is something else going on, your Highness."

Shang started in alarm. If Bin-Ling knew about that, maybe he knew everything that Mulan knew about Ying and about the Emperor.

He spoke up, hoping to confuse Bin-Ling and make him question what he thought he knew.

"With your permission, your Highness," Shang began. "Is it possible that there was a guard, and he disappeared, leaving an identical straw dummy on purpose? To confuse everyone when it was found and give himself enough time to escape?"

"Possibly," Ting answered, pondering that. "Yes, that is very likely."

Ting turned to Bin-Ling.

"Shen-Li," Ting ordered, "go and summon the rest of the council and wait for me in the council chamber. I will meet you in there shortly."

He bowed and left the room.

Once he was gone, Prince Ting ordered the two guards to leave as well. When just the three of them were left in the room, Prince Ting disappeared behind a bureau. He peered out and beckoned Shang and Mulan and they followed him into the hidden chamber. Ting shut the door.

"General Li, I am guessing that Captain Li told you everything that is going on."

"Yes, sir."

Ting turned to her. "Have you found Shen-Li yet?"

"Mulan and Chen are looking for him," she answered, but in a voice that was not her own.

Shang and Prince Ting gaped at her as she suddenly began to transform and shrink into the grinning little monkey.

"Ming?" Shang exclaimed.

"You know this…what is it?" Prince Ting asked, a wary expression on his face.

"This is Ming, one of the Li guardians. He came here with Chen," Shang answered, somewhat amused at the prince's reaction.

Ting's expression softened.

"Ah, so that is how Ying's assassination was faked," Ting laughed. "We were all wondering about that. You can make yourself look like anyone, little monkey?"

Ming nodded. "Ming."

"Ming. General Li, that's something that will continue to come in very handy, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir," Shang answered, winking at Ming. "Ming, are Mulan and Chen still looking for Shen-Li?"

"Yes. I must get back to them. I made myself look like Mulan so that she could get past the guard and to the Imperial Square from inside the palace. I distracted the guard while she passed him. I must go back to Chen and her."

Ming disappeared.

"General Li, I am meeting with the council and I would like you to be there. I would like you to personally be the one to guard me during the day now. Your men have done a fine job protecting me, but I need you to be around and aware of everything that is going on close to me. Something must be done soon so that it can be revealed that my father and brother are both still alive. This state of limbo that the throne is in cannot go on."

**xxxxxxx**

Once he was finished eating Chen miraculously had a clearer picture of the cellar that Shen-Li was being held in. He told her that there were two men guarding him.

"We need to talk to him somehow."

"Well, something occurred to me," Mushu began.

"What's that, Mushu?"

"The man has to eat and he has to relieve himself at some time. My guess is that Mei-Lin brings him food. And unless she's feeding him like a baby, she must release his hands so he can eat. That's why the guards are there. As far as relieving himself, my guess is he doesn't do it down there. That would be disgusting. The guards must take him out somewhere."

"He's right," Ming said, appearing suddenly and making her jump.

"You guys really drive me crazy when you pop out of nowhere like that," Mulan commented. "But he _is_ right. Which means we may be able to intercept them when they do take him outside and away from the temple. Ming, what happened with Bin-Ling?"

"I was brought before him and Prince Ting and Li Shang. Don't worry, everything is alright. Bin-Ling discovered Mushu's discarded puppet, but Li Shang very cleverly steered him in the wrong direction about it. Ting knows about me and that I can make myself look like anyone. You are now safe, Mulan. At least as far as getting in trouble with Ting."

"So I don't have to remain hidden anymore?"

"No."

"Good. Now I can sleep in my own bed."

"And with Shang," Mushu quipped in her ear so only she could hear.

Mulan grinned at his remark.

She became serious again. "I think it's time to start implementing a plan now. We need to save Shen-Li. We need to find out why Bin-Ling and Mei-Lin are doing what they're doing and we need to find out who else is working with them. And we need to finally bring the Emperor and Prince Ying out of hiding."

They continued to watch the temple. They had been there for a very long time now and Mei-Lin still hadn't come out yet.

"She's been in there a very long time," Mulan mused, frowning. "I hope Shen-Li is still okay."


	13. Sung

A/N: Another chapter up! Thanks to all for reading, and thank you **Angel452** and **WaitingIdeas** for the continued reviews.

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 13: Sung**

Shang remained in the room with Prince Ting, conferring about the meeting that the prince had just had with the council. He was somewhat stunned by the sudden change in the Emperor's younger son. In just a couple of days Ting had become much more serious and responsible.

They knew about Bin-Ling impersonating Shen-Li; other than that Shang didn't note anything suspicious in the reactions and behavior of the other councilmen. Of course, they could all be really good actors.

He sighed with relief when Mulan appeared, brought into the prince's chamber by one of the guards.

"Welcome, Captain Li," Prince Ting greeted her.

"Your Highness," she answered, standing beside Shang and bowing to the prince.

"It is the real Captain Li, isn't it?" Ting asked quietly after the guard had left the room.

She looked up and grinned. "Yes, sir. I see that you met Ming."

Ting laughed. "Yes. You have been using his talents very cleverly. I am hoping that he may be able to help us deal once and for all with Bin-Ling and his accomplices."

"Yes, sir."

Prince Ting beckoned them into the hidden chamber behind his bureau.

"Sir, we have found Shen-Li. He is being held in a temple behind the palace," Mulan told him after they were in the hidden chamber.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "There is a cellar underneath it. We saw Mei-Lin there."

"Mei-Lin?"

"The cook who was talking to Bin-Ling. They are working together. She was inside the temple for a long time, and when she finally came out, two men followed her. They had Shen-Li with them."

"You saw him?"

She nodded.

"Is he alright?" Shang asked.

"Yes. Whatever these people are up to, they don't wish to hurt him. At least not right now. They seem to be taking good care of him. He looked fine, and I think they were just letting him get air."

"I was telling General Li that something must be done soon. It must be revealed that my father and brother are both still alive. This state of limbo that the throne is in cannot go on. The people are aware that something is not right and they are getting restless. They are being told that I am in deep mourning, but that can only be for so long."

"Yes, sir. We need to get to Shen-Li to talk to him. He may know why his twin brother is doing this. Then we can come up with a plan to rescue him."

"I would like to start working on a plan right now," the prince said, "even before we talk to Shen-Li."

"Yes, sir."

The three of them remained in the chamber, talking over their ideas quietly.

**xxxxxxx**

Mulan was relieved when Mushu returned to her side.

"How is Shen-Li?"

"They were just taking him out to relieve himself, Mulan. They brought him back to the temple afterward. He's fine. But, it turns out…one of those guards is Mei-Lin's son."

"Her son?"

He nodded.

"How old is he?"

Mushu shrugged. "Around twenty or so. The other guard called him Sung."

"Can you describe what they look like? Their build, body types, stuff like that?"

Mushu gave her a description of each.

"I have to go to Ming."

"Ming is with Chen."

She nodded. "Yeah. I left Chen and the two girls in Su-Tan's room. Ming is watching out for them."

"What's the plan?"

"We have a plan that should totally throw Bin-Ling and Mei-Lin for a loop and force them out. Ming will be involved with that. For now, I need to ask you to do two things for me, Mushu. First, I need you to find Shang. Tell him about Sung and give him the descriptions of him and the other guard. Ask him to pick two men from his troops that have the same build as each guard and could be mistaken for them, at a distance at least. I have a plan, and we will need those guards just in case. Also tell him I will meet him as soon as I have spoken to Ming and talk to him about my plan."

"Okay. You know, Shang hasn't met me yet."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be happy to meet you. You helped to save his little brother once."

"What about after I talk to him?"

"Would you follow Mei-Lin? I need to know more about the son, and about what she and Bin-Ling are saying to each other. And also, if there is anyone else involved. I have a hunch not. If my suspicions are correct, I think I know what this is all about now."

"I think your suspicions are right."

Mulan grinned at him. "You're reading my mind."

Mulan watched him disappear, feeling grateful that Mushu was her guardian and her friend. He had become a true friend. And a guardian that doubled as a spy came in very handy.

**xxxxxxx**

Sung and the other guard emerged from the temple, leading Shen-Li along. Shang and Mulan watched them disappear in the darkness. Ming was with them, as were the two men from Shang's troop that fit Mushu's description of the body types of Sung and the other guard.

Shang quietly signaled his two guards to hurry into the temple one by one, watching the point at which the guards had disappeared with Shen-Li. Once the two men were inside Mulan took her turn moving across the grass and entering the temple. Shang finally came in a few moments after her.

Ming guarded the entrance while they found the wooden trapdoor hidden underneath the altar. Shang's two men lowered themselves down into the cellar and Mulan shut the trapdoor above them. Then she and Shang went to stand on either side of the entrance. Ming had made himself invisible, but Mulan knew that he was posted right outside the temple, watching for when the two men returned with Shen-Li.

After a long time, Ming appeared inside the temple again.

"They're on their way back."

Mulan and Shang both readied themselves to strike. Several minutes after Ming's warning, they heard voices outside of the temple. They listened as the voices got closer. Then Shen-Li was prodded into the entrance. He stepped forward, followed by Sung and the other guard.

Mulan and Shang each grabbed one of Shen-Li's guards, falling them and knocking them unconscious easily after catching them by surprise.

"General, Captain," Shen-Li exclaimed, breathlessly.

"We are glad to see that you're alright, sir," Shang told him.

Mulan went and opened the trapdoor to the cellar.

"Come on up."

The two men climbed up and Mulan shut the trapdoor.

"Do you know what is going on?" Shen-Li asked.

"You don't know at all?" Shang asked.

Shen-Li shook his head. "I was grabbed and kidnapped by two men. I don't know how long I've been here. Several weeks. And there is a woman. She's the mother of one of the men. She brings me food. I don't know what else is going on. They are just holding me prisoner. No one has interrogated me or even asked any questions at all."

"Your twin has been impersonating you," Mulan told him.

"My twin?" Shen-Li asked, looking thoroughly puzzled.

"Don't you have a twin? Named Bin-Ling?"

"Bin-Ling?" he repeated, astonished.

"Yes."

Shen-Li was silent for several minutes, appearing to be in somewhat of a state of shock.

"I thought Bin-Ling was dead. He left home. We never saw him again but we heard rumors of his death...a long time ago. What is he doing here?"

"There's a lot to explain," Shang said.

Shang's two guards were binding the hands of Sung and the other man.

"We'll bring Sung and other one with us when they come to. We were concerned that we might run into Mei-Lin while trying to rescue you. We must get to Prince Ting with them."

"Prince Ting?"

"Yes. We'll explain all the details," Mulan told him, picking up and handing him a large black cloak that she'd taken from his room. "Here, put this on so no one will see who you are. Mei-Lin is Sung's mother. We think that she may be claiming that Sung is her son with the Emperor, though we don't know whether that's true or not. But we're pretty sure that Bin-Ling has been helping her try to put him on the throne."

**xxxxxxx**

A/N: More to follow shortly.


	14. The Next Emperor

A/N: Final chapter up! Thanks to all who have read and reviewed. I want to specifically thank **Angel452** and **WaitingIdeas** again for the continued feedback.

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 14: The Next Emperor**

Mulan went into the palace with Shang and the others, but parted from them once inside. Shang and his two men were bringing Sung and the other man before Prince Ting in the council chamber. Shen-Li was going with them, still covered in the black cloak so that Bin-Ling wouldn't recognize him yet if he was there. She had to get back into the hidden passageways and out to the forest to let the Emperor and Prince Ying know about Mei-Lin and Sung.

She hurried off to the temple once she was out in the forest, Ming perched on her shoulder. She didn't know what had happened to Mushu.

"He's with Prince Ting," Ming answered, reading the question from her mind.

"What?"

Ming nodded. "He heard Mei-Lin telling Bin-Ling to murder Ting tonight. She thought that if she killed his other son, it would draw the Emperor out of hiding and she could confront him. I think the woman is crazy. It was probably going to happen while the prince slept, but Mushu went to make sure he was there to stop it whenever it might happen."

"Good thinking on his part. I'm just hoping that this will all be over soon."

She hurried to the monastery behind the temple.

"Who is it?" came the commanding voice again as she entered.

"Captain Li Mulan."

The Emperor and Prince Ying appeared and Mulan quickly explained what she had found out about Mei-Lin and Sung. She told them her plan then.

"Prince Ying, you will remain safe here," Mulan told him.

"My father…"

"It is alright, Ying," the Emperor interrupted. "This immortal guardian can only impersonate one of us at a time. I am old and my time is short. If anything is going to happen, I want it to happen to me, not you. As I have already said, I want you safe and alive to inherit the throne."

Mulan stepped out of the monastery, allowing the Emperor and his son a few minutes alone. She knew that they were saying goodbye now, in the event that the Emperor didn't live through this, and the father was giving last words of wisdom to his son in the event that he really had to take over the rule of their country right away.

The Emperor joined her outside several minutes later and the two of them and Ming headed into the forest, returning to the palace.

**xxxxxxx**

Bin-Ling raced out of the palace and to the temple to find Mei-Lin. She was running toward him frantically as he approached.

"They're gone!"

"I know. General Li found them. They are all in the council chamber before Prince Ting. They have Shen-Li with them. I didn't see him. But I know it was him. He had his face covered."

Mei-Lin's eyes were wild and full of pain.

"Mei-Lin…"

"They're going to execute my son!"

"Not if I can help it," he said, taking her hand gently. "I have an idea. Come on."

"What are we going to do?"

"We're going to get ourselves something to barter with."

**xxxxxxx**

Mi-Ying watched quietly as Chen and Su-Tan sat on the floor of Su-Tan's room playing a game. She would be playing next, against whoever won.

Chen stiffened suddenly, and a moment later the door to the room was forced open.

"It's them!" he exclaimed in alarm, leaping to his feet. "Mi-Ying, Su-Tan, hide!"

Mi-Ying opened the panel to the hidden chamber and stepped in. Su-Tan went to follow but didn't have time to get inside. Mi-Ying stifled a scream and shrank back as her new friend was pulled out of the entrance to the hidden chamber by the woman that had come into the room. She had to remain unseen and unheard. She couldn't do anything alone. She would follow them to see where they took her friends and then get Mulan and General Li to help.

She crept out of the chamber once they had left the room with Chen and Su-Tan. She peered out into the hallway and stepped out, following them at a distance.

**xxxxxxx**

"I am glad that you are well and returned to us, Shen-Li," Prince Ting told him. "I don't know where Bin-Ling is. He may know by now that you have been found."

Prince Ting spoke to Shang's two guards. "Take these two men to the dungeon. My father will sentence them when he returns."

As they bowed and turned to take Sung and the other man away, Sung began to struggle. Shang drew his sword in order to subdue him and his man regained his grip on him. He was about to sheath his sword when the sound of crying came to his ears behind him. He whirled around.

"Oh, no. Not again," he whispered as Bin-Ling and Mei-Lin appeared with Chen and Su-Tan, dragging them into the room.

Shang lurched forward involuntarily.

"Drop your sword, General Li," Bin-Ling ordered, tightening his grip on Chen, his other hand at his throat. "It won't take much to snap these little ones' necks."

Shang dropped his sword to the floor and held his hands up, his palms out. "I'm unarmed. Let them go."

He gestured to the two guards to hold Sung and the other man, and not make any move toward Bin-Ling or Mei-Lin. Shen-Li moved in front of Prince Ting to protect him in the event that someone decided to go after him, and Shang suddenly caught a glimpse of the little red dragon Mushu, perched behind the prince's seat and peering around at him, also watching out for him. He turned his direct attention back to his little brother and the little girl Su-Tan.

"Release my son and we'll let these two go," Mei-Lin ordered. There was desperation in her eyes and her voice was close to being a screech.

Shang watched Chen closely, frantically trying to think of a way to help him and his friend. But his little brother didn't look scared, which was very puzzling.

He froze in terror as a moment later Chen made a sudden quick movement against Bin-Ling. A sense of pride suddenly rose in Shang in the midst of his fear as he realized that it was a move he had taught Chen. Of course Chen was too small and still not strong enough to fall Bin-Ling or even to knock him slightly off balace. But he executed the move well and Bin-Ling was caught by surprise, causing him to release his grip for a second. Enough to provide Chen with that little bit of time that he needed to duck away and scoot over to Shang.

Mei-Lin shrieked wildly, threw an epithet at Chen and tightened her grip on Su-Tan.

"No!" Chen screeched, beginning to hurl himself toward her.

"Chen!" Shang grabbed his little brother, holding him back as Mei-Lin pulled Su-Tan tighter against her body.

Su-Tan appeared too terrified to cry and Chen reached his arm out toward her, a pained expression on his face.

Shang gripped his brother's shoulders, feeling that he was going to hurl himself forward again. "No, Chen, don't," he whispered. "Don't be stupid. I'll handle this." He pushed Chen behind him.

Shang suddenly noticed Mi-Ying near the door, crying. He didn't know when she had arrived or why she was there.

"Let my son free," Mei-Lin demanded again, her hand at Su-Tan's throat. "Or I swear I will kill her!"

Shang caught sight of Mulan in the doorway. She had her sword drawn and she gave Shang a look indicating that he should be ready for anything. The Emperor and Prince Ying were with her. Mei-Lin had her back to the door and she began to back up with Su-Tan.

"Mei-Lin," the Emperor called out, stepping into the room. Mulan moved with him, ready to protect him from any attack.

Shang and the others in the room knelt down, but Shang kept his head raised, not taking his eye away from Su-Tan.

Bin-Ling and Mei-Lin whirled around and both of them let out an audible gasp at the sight of the prince that had supposedly been assassinated. Neither of them knelt down. But in her shock, Mei-Lin released her grip on Su-Tan.

Shang seized that opportunity to spring to his feet and lurch forward, grabbing Su-Tan away from Mei-Lin and setting her down behind him, next to Chen. During the distraction caused by his move, Sung and the other man broke free from the guards. The guard that held the other man instantly drew his sword and wounded Sung's accomplice, stopping him. But the guard that had been holding Sung wasn't as quick and Sung sprang forward, snatching up the sword that Shang had dropped to the floor, rushing toward the Emperor and Prince Ying with a wild cry, apparently determined to take the two of them with him.

Prince Ying pulled the Emperor aside and Mulan intercepted Sung's blow with her own sword. But Sung seemed to have gone completely mad. He ignored her and continued to lunge toward Ying with Shang's sword. He thrust the blade into Ying's chest and pulled it out. It was clean of blood and Ying didn't fall. He didn't even bleed. He just seemed to dissolve and a moment later they were all looking at the tiny monkey guardian, Ming.

"It's a trick!" Bin-Ling shouted.

Sung hadn't even noticed Ming. He had turned away from the figure of who he thought was Ying and was leaping wildly toward the Emperor.

"Sung, no!" Mei-Lin screamed.

Mulan got in Sung's way in an effort to protect the Emperor and the blade of Shang's sword swiped across her stomach. She winced against the pain, but kept fighting him, thrusting her sword into his chest finally.

Mei-Lin's anguished, ear-piercing shriek as she watched her son fall to the ground was hair-raising. She rushed to his side as Sung lay dying, gasping for breath, muttering inaudibly to his mother. She bent over him, weeping bitterly. Sung became still and Mei-Lin remained bent over him. The room was still, everyone too hypnotized by the scene to move or speak.

Before anyone could react, she suddenly grabbed Shang's sword that lay beside Sung and plunged it into her own chest with a scream.

"Mei-Lin!" Bin-Ling shouted, rushing to her. He bent over her, burying his face in her shoulder.

The Emperor moved toward her and knelt down beside her. Everyone else in the room bowed to the ground, to make themselves lower than him.

"Mei-Lin. For what reason…?" he began.

"Sung was your son. Your eldest son. _He_ should have been the rightful heir to the throne. But you would not claim him as your own or even acknowledge him."

"It is not possible and you know that. The timing is wrong. But you could have talked to me, Mei-Lin."

She started to laugh slightly, the laugh turning into a labored cough. Blood ran from her mouth.

"It wouldn't have mattered anyway." She struggled to croak out the words. "I was just a cook."

**xxxxxxx**

The palace medic treated Mulan's wound. Fortunately it was only a flesh wound, but it was terribly close to the very first wound that she had received from Shan-Yu's sword, and a small part of that scar had been cut. Still, the medic felt there was no need for stitches and bandaged her up after applying a disinfectant.

He turned his attention to Shen-Li then. Shen-Li had been held in that cellar since the week before the Emperor's attempted poisoning, and though he didn't appear harmed, the medic wanted to check that he was healthy. Mulan waited with Shang until Shen-Li emerged, both wanting to make sure that he was okay. Then they returned to their room.

They embraced and kissed passionately when they got inside. Chen, Su-Tan and Mi-Ying were in their bed already, sleeping. The three children had been understandably hysterical, completely rattled by the night's events, as were Mulan and Shang, so they allowed all three of the kids to stay with them.

They sat on the couch in the room, their arms around each other and Mulan leaned her head on her husband's shoulder, beginning to cry. He turned and put his other arm around her, embracing her.

"Mulan," he murmured astonished, squeezing her tightly. "I don't think I've ever seen you cry."

"I killed her son. And by doing that, I killed her too."

"Mulan, you were protecting the Emperor. He was leaping toward him with my sword. And then he was going to harm you and you had to protect yourself."

"I know. But still."

Shang held her and stroked her hair, letting her cry. "You did what you had to, Mulan. It was the right thing to do in that moment."

"I know. It was just so sad. This whole mission has been so difficult. I never thought I'd say it, but fighting Shan-Yu and the Huns was so much easier than this."

"I know."

"You know, when Chen held the letter that Bin-Ling wrote to her, he said that she didn't love him. I think that somehow she found him and saw that he looked exactly like Shen-Li. She only used him. But he really loved her. And he was willing to do anything for her. That's why he was involved in this."

"Maybe. Who knows, maybe he had his own reasons for wanting to hurt Shen-Li. But he didn't seem to even care when they sentenced him to be executed," Shang commented, softly. "Once she was gone, it didn't matter."

"Poor Shen-Li," she murmured, sniffling. "What a way to be reunited with your own brother."

She reached up and wiped away her tears but more fell.

"Do you think Sung was really the Emperor's son?"

Shang shrugged. "The Emperor said the timing was wrong, but that's an old excuse and it's her word against his. Maybe Sung wasn't his son, but the timing was close enough that Mei-Lin thought she could get away with saying it and put her own son in power. We'll never know the truth."

They held each other in silence for a long time. Then Shang leaned back to look at her and cupped his hand around her face, gently wiping a tear away with his thumb and kissing her.

"You missed the little Kung-Fu move that Chen pulled tonight," Shang said, lightening the conversation a little. "He didn't do much; he's too small. But he was able to escape from Bin-Ling."

"He's going to be a formidable adversary when he grows up."

They kissed and nuzzled each other more, then Shang sighed.

"Well, this is all we're going to be able to do tonight. Nothing else."

"No, not with present company."

"Ready to go to sleep then?"

"If we can," she said, indicating the way the three kids were sprawled on the bed.

They both laughed softly and approached the bed. Mi-Ying was lying across the bed at the foot of it. Shang gently moved Chen and Su-Tan a little to make a spot for the two of them, and they climbed into the bed, being careful to step over the kids, stifling their laughter. Shang blew out the candle and they settled down, making sure that their legs didn't kick Mi-Ying at the end of the bed when they stretched out.

They remained awake, half sitting up in the dark, still finding it difficult to get comfortable and fall asleep with the three children crowded into the bed with them. Two sets of gleaming eyes watched them all. The two guardians were in the room, perched at the edge of the bed watching them. Mulan and Shang looked at each other and laughed.

"At least it's a big bed," Mulan giggled.

"Not big enough."

"I missed you, Shang," she whispered to him, softly, when their laughter subsided.

"You were busy running around inside the walls of the palace."

"I still missed you."

He put his arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Well, one more night and then we'll be home in our own bed, Mulan. Alone."

She turned her face up to him and they kissed again. Then they stretched out. She turned over to sleep and he curled his body around hers, embracing her, and they settled down to sleep.

**xxxxxxx**

The next morning Shang and Mulan stood before the Emperor, the two Princes and Shen-Li, Chen standing between them. They were both somber despite the new medals of valor and the praise they received for their service. Though the gruesome scene in the council chamber had ended more than twelve hours earlier, the anguish and sadness from the night before hung heavily in the air, like a dark cloud, permeating everyone's mood. Chen was morbidly somber, weighed down by his perception of everyone else's mood as well as being engulfed in his own.

The Emperor himself maintained a formal, regal and pleasant air; but there was profound sadness in his eyes. His gratitude was genuine, though. He had asked Shang to have Chen stand with them. And after he bestowed his gratitude and honors upon Shang and Mulan, he spoke to Chen.

"You are quite an extraordinary young man already, Master Li Chen. Someday you will make a fine addition to the palace council. I assume that you are in school, preparing for the civil service exams like other boys your age."

Chen nodded.

"General Li, I would like to suggest that your little brother receive special one-on-one tutoring instead of schooling, to help him accelerate faster. There is a teacher that I could engage to work with him. This young man will do great things if he is pushed in the right direction and eventually put in the right position."

Shang knelt down and spoke eye level to Chen. "What do you think, Chen? This is a very great honor to be offered such an opportunity."

"I wouldn't have to go to school anymore?"

"No. You would be working at home. But you will be working very hard. A lot will be expected of you. And when you get older, you will have to pass very difficult tests."

"I don't mind. Will I still be able to keep learning Kung-Fu, too?"

"Yes, I'm sure we could arrange time for that, too. As long as you're doing well in your studies. That comes first."

Shang stood up and nodded to the Emperor.

"Very well, General. His name is Qin Tao. I will send him to you in a week or so, after you have all returned home."

"Will I be able to see Su-Tan again?" Chen asked Shang, softly.

Shang stared down at his little brother, sternly. But the Emperor was not offended by Chen's interruption.

"He is welcome here any time to visit Su-Tan, General Li," the Emperor told him. "And when I am gone, and Prince Ying is the Emperor, that will still be the case."

**xxxxxxx**

Grandfather Li hugged them all in turn when they arrived home after taking Mi-Ying to her own home.

"Mulan answered my letter to you," Grandfather said to Shang, resting his hand on his grandson's shoulder.

"A letter to me?" Shang turned to Mulan and she just mouthed the word 'Ming'. He nodded, then shook his head as he realized that Ming had impersonated him too at some point during the adventure and he had intercepted Grandfather's letter.

"I'm glad you're all back."

"I'm sorry we were away for so long, Grandfather. It couldn't be helped."

"And you, Li Chen. You caused quite a stir. You will behave yourself from now on, or I will kill you myself."

"I will."

"The Emperor gave him permission to visit Su-Tan any time he wants," Shang told him. "So he will have no reason to run away anymore. Right, Chen?"

"Right."

Shang laid his hand on Chen's shoulder and put his other arm around Mulan. The three of them walked into the house behind Grandfather Li, glad to be home again.

**END**


End file.
